Fall in Love All Over Again
by ILuvKaoruxHikaru
Summary: What happens when you step into the future, and see how the host club's kids turn out to be? You get a whole new love story, with drama, suspense, thrills, and of course all the comedy our favorites brought us in the original. We'll be waiting for you!
1. Chapter 1: Cue the Flower Petals

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 1: Cue the Flower Petals!_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

Orientation day at Ouran High School. It was a day to pick up your schedule, get school pictures, and check out student organizations. For the upperclassmen it was routine, but for the incoming freshmen, it was a nightmare. Especially if you had Tamotsu Suou as your older brother. The princely pretty boy at Ouran High, known to take after his dad in good looks, and pleasing the young maidens. The only thing he took after from his mother, Haruhi Fujioka, was his chocolate tinted irises.

Haruki Suou, Tamotsu's little sister was an incoming freshmen, and she was loathing the very thought of being in the same school as her egotistical, overbearing, older brother. She was small like her mother, not much of a mature figure, but always caught the boys with her beautiful captivating eyes that were as vast, and deep as the blue sea. She obtained these eyes from her father. She was envious of her mother, because she kept her hair short, and manageable. Her father always argued that she couldn't lop off all her hair because she quote "Looks too cute with her curly long hair!" Some things never change.

At the very least she was able to wear one of the boys' uniforms. She couldn't stand dresses no matter how often her father, and even brother tried to get her to wear them. She swore that even a blind man could see the family resemblance between those two.

So here she was walking down the hallway to the third music room. Not like she exactly wanted to go, but her brother made this huge speech on how she could come spend time with big brother Tamotsu, and watch him work. At least it would give her a quiet place to study.

Tamotsu had been working hard all his sophomore year to gather up a group that would make the perfect host club! He was optimistic that this year would be the best year in his high school career! And with his little sister along for the ride, there was no way anything could go wrong. He had rounded up a few fellow juniors to join in, and even a couple in coming freshmen as well. Yes! The new host king took his job very seriously, and searched far, and wide for who he thought would make the best hosts for the lovely ladies of Ouran.

Outside two big black stretch limousines pulled up on the side of the street. Almost in exact unison, a boy descended from each vehicle, with a pair of sunglasses on. Both of their hair was black as the wings of a raven, one with blue lowlights in his hair, and the other with orange highlights. The blue one, Mitsuru Hitachiin, was the eldest twin. He had longer hair than his younger brother, Minoru, and an even more outrageous attitude. The reason they both need their own limos though… well…

"I really wish you wouldn't follow me around Minoru." barked Mitsuru, not even daring to look over at his twin.

"I wasn't following. You were in my way." retorted Minoru.

They hated each other. To the extreme of not even being able to ride in the same transportation with one another.

They were freshmen too, coming from a private school, unlike Haruki, who had been going to public schools all her life. They didn't even dare walk beside one another. If they had a class together, they'd get a schedule change, and STILL end up in the same class! Even though they despised each other's presence, they mirrored each other, and were almost always in perfect harmony.

Back in front of the double doors of the third music room stood little Haruki, bracing herself. She took a deep breath, and opened the door. The doors swung open, and as expected, the self proclaimed host club king sat on his throne, smiling radiantly, "Welcome Haruki." Things grew quiet, and suddenly he leapt out of his chair, and smuggled her into an embrace, "You came to watch your brother work after all! You're so cute!" he beamed, nearly suffocating her.

"Tamo-kun knock it off! I can't breathe!" growled Haruki.

"You have to call me your senpai now! Oh Haruki! You're growing up!" quickly Tamotsu glided away to his corner of woe, "seems like just yesterday you were still in a public school!"

"It pretty much was just yesterday Tamo-kun." groaned Haruki.

"But fear not!" announced the king, stepping back toward her to wrap her in another forced hug, "I, your noble brother will protect you from the evil that lurks within these walls!"

Haruki was used to her brother's blind ambition to be most gallant, and brave. It seemed no one had shown up yet, but she was early. Slipping from Tamotsu's arms she made her way over to a table, and sat down. Spilling the contents of her school bag on the table she grabbed a magazine from the stack of books, and started reading.

Speaking of evil, the two previously feuding brothers had been selected by Tamotsu Suou a month before Orientation. He thought if they could some how work out their differences slowly, with a beautiful audience of lovely ladies around them, it would be a big hit! The twins just had nothing better to do, and as it was often, they were bored. When they walked in, they strayed away from each other, and sat across the room from each other, on individual couches. Haruki raised an eyebrow. Were those two hosts? She watched as they both flipped off their sunglasses at the same time. Their eyes were catlike, and golden like honey. They looked like rock stars. She assumed when out in about on a regular day they'd wear flashy expensive clothing.

Tamotsu was delighted to see that they decided to show up, "The Hitachiin brothers! It's so nice to see you!"

"Hitachiin?" wondered Haruki quietly. Wasn't that last name familiar?

Before any discussion could be held, another figure walked in. This one small in size like Haruki, but still slightly taller than her. In fact, it was a girl. She had long black hair that hung passed her hips, she wore plain looking black bordered glasses, with seemingly normal sized rims. She was sporting an interesting uniform. It had the blazer that looked exactly like the boys', but she was wearing a black pleated skirt, and black knee high socks with school girl heels on her feet. Although she might appear to be any ordinary girl, she wasn't. Her name was Emiko… Emiko Ootori.

"Tamotsu Suou," greeted Emiko, pushing up her glasses with her index, and middle finger, "is this the place?"

"Ah, Emiko! Good to see you as always." chirped the host king, "Yes, this is the place. Can you believe our own father's used to work here together? It's like we're repeating history." he seemed satisfied.

"It would seem that way wouldn't it?" said Emiko, tugging on a wrinkle in her skirt. The light reflected off her specs as she looked around the room, "Hikaru Hitachiin's sons seem to be getting along as well as ever."

"Hikaru Hitachiin?" wondered the king.

Emiko turned to him, to explain, "It would seem your father left out some of the details. Way back when there were two twin boys that were a part of the host club. Hikaru, and Kaoru Hitachiin." she flipped through the notes on her clip board, "You must have missed the memo, but these two are the son's of the older twin, Hikaru. You must have an eye for these things Suou."

Of course he took the last bit as a compliment, and had a cocky grin on his face, "Well of course I knew that!" no he didn't. "It just slipped my mind." it was never there.

"And if I remember correctly Usagi is Mitsukuni Haninozuka's son, and Katashi Mamoru is in fact Takashi Morinozuka's son. Not to mention you rounded up Kaoru Hitachiin's son as well from what I've collected." She said examining the clip board closely.

This caught Minoru's attention as he was eavesdropping the whole time, "Kichiro? That's unexpected."

"He's so antisocial." finished Mitsuru, shaking his head.

Like they were one to talk.

"So basically what Tamotsu did was bring the old host club back together… without even realizing it?" asked Haruki.

Emiko nodded in response.

What seemed to be right on cue was Usagi, and Moru walking into the room. Usagi looked exactly like his father, just with bright baby blue eyes. He even held the hand me down stuffed pink bunny clutched to his body tightly, as he rode on Moru's back. The small junior class student looked like he had just waken up from a nap. In fact, his eyes still folded closed from time to time. Meanwhile Moru was full of energy! He wore a bright welcoming smile, as he bounded into the third music room happily. The gentle giant was excited to make new friends with the other hosts. He seemed to come out of no where as he gracefully lifted Emiko off her feet, and hugged her tightly "Emi-chan!"

She didn't seem surprised, as she straightened out her glasses calmly, "Moru Senpai. The pleasure's all mine."

"Katashi, you're over doing it again." mumbled the soft spoken Usagi.

Moru gently set Emiko down, obeying the hint like an obedient dog.

Brushing herself off, Emiko examined the people around her once more, "Yes, this is exactly how father described it. There's just one missing piece left…" she murmured.

That's when the doors opened once again. The final piece to the puzzle. The missing fragment from the stained glass. The last passenger on the carriage. His name was Kichiro Hitachiin. Standing at 5'9 like his father once did when he was his age, he had the same red hair, with nearly the same style, it was just a tad bit longer. His eyes were also catlike, but were an emerald green, a random twist set within his genes. His expression was careful… cautious. The way he walked seemed slightly arrogant, and egotistical, but he was great at fooling the world. The world that surrounded him, but the one he wasn't apart of. There was only his world, and no one else was allowed within it.

Everyone stared at him thoughtfully. He seemed to notice his cousins right away, "Didn't think I'd see you two here." he muttered.

"Likewise Kichiro." replied Mitsuru, now off the couch, he approached his cousin, and placed his hands on his hips.

"It's not in your character to do anything besides studying, and keeping to yourself." said Minoru, who had now also filled the gap, as he stood on the other side of his cousin.

"That's it!" exclaimed Tamotsu, proud of his own bright idea, "You two should have a sort of family bond act! Yes! You two should fight over Kichiro! It would be beautiful!" he seemed to be almost in tears.

All three Hitachiins stared at him like he was a royal fool, "why would we do that?" wondered Mitsuru.

"Because," explained the king, "two twins fighting over another boy, both with homosexual tendencies would wow the girls of Ouran. You'd be a huge hit. Plus with twin brothers as fathers you sort of look like triplets."

"Idiot." growled Minoru.

"Not up for a game? That doesn't sound very Hitachiin like." said Emiko. She always had the answer to tip the iceberg. "Plus, wouldn't it be nice to see who can be a better little devil Mitsuru? Minoru?" She had a name, and it was The Shadow Queen.

The twins smirked together, and linked their arms around Kichiro, "Consider it a challenge." they both said together, glaring at each other all the while.

Kichiro looked deathly embarrassed. He couldn't believe all it took was that to make them snap. His cheeks were a light shade of red, and he looked away quietly. His eyes met Haruki, and she frowned, feeling pity on the boy.

**To be continued…**

Author's notes: Seems the Ouran hosts never really left. There's some twists and turns, but when I got this idea I was itching to write it. More to come! I had to get introductions out of the way, and soon the real plot will thicken. Hope ya enjoyed chapter one, and anticipate chapter 2 coming soon! Please review =D


	2. Chapter 2: Opening the Doors

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 2: Opening the Doors…_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

The host club had finally spread its wings for the first time that year, and in retrospect a very long time. Each host was sitting at his own table. Tamotsu in front, Moru and Usagi at their own table, Mitsuru on one side of the room, Minoru on the other, and Kichiro near the window. Emiko was in her own little corner typing away at a laptop quietly, while Haruki leaned against the wall with her school bag clutched in her hand, deciding on where to sit. She had just arrived, and it seemed business was already booming. Her brother of course had the most girls sitting around him eagerly, hanging on his every last word.

Her eyes then went to those pair of twin brothers who once again were divided. Both of them had a couple girls each. She assumed that the whole twin love and war act hadn't started yet, because the red haired cousin, Kichiro, was sitting all by himself, without any girls, and was doing some homework. He seemed quite indulged. They were in the same Western Cultures class, so maybe she could ask him for help? The teacher slapped a chapter assignment on them the first day of class. The problem being that Haruki was having trouble finding something interesting from the text to write a one page report about.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room. The cousin's Moru, and Usagi had a few guests. Moru seemed overly zealous about their company whereas little Usagi was napping with his head on his big cousin's lap. It was sort of cute in a way, the boy looked so tranquil even with his cheerful relative making all of that racket. She assumed he was probably just accustomed to it. Finally, although she wasn't a host, she saw Emiko. Her mind was set on rolling in as much profit as possible. This was going to be a long school year. Fact is, if Haruki didn't show up to the host club after school hours, she'd hear nothing, but her brother's whining from the time he got home, until the time she went to bed. It wasn't worth it. She could study here right?

It took a bit of hesitation before Haruki finally decided to approach the quietly working Kichiro, who seemed to enjoy isolation above all else, "Hey," she started. "Mind if I sit here?"

She hadn't noticed it until now, but when he lifted his head slowly to look at her, he was wearing glasses. He wasn't wearing those yesterday was he? "Go for it." he muttered quietly. He was very soft spoken. His eyes automatically turned back to his paper. He was already nearly done with his report.

"That's the Western Cultures report right?" asked Haruki, "I'm having a bit of trouble with it." she was trying to make conversation, and secretly seeing if he'd help her.

His pen paused on the page. He was confident enough to use a pen? He looked up at her, and she seemed a little taken back by the jade green eyes behind the looking glass. "You seemed confused in class." he had noticed? "You're new to private institutions huh?"

She nodded in response, "Mom figured I'd have more fun in a public setting. My dad really wanted me to go to high school with my brother though, and since grandpa runs the whole operation… here I am."

Kichiro was listening to her, but his eyes reverted back down to his report, "Well why not write about the structure of the United State's Economy. That was going to be my subject, but I decided on something else instead. It's a very broad subject, so I guess your best option would be to compare and contrast the way it was before the decline, and how it is now."

He was really smart, "That sounds like a great idea." smiled Haruki, "thank you so much."

"No problem," he muttered, running his fingers through his ginger colored hair. He wrote another sentence on the page, and then slid it back into his portfolio. Removing his glasses and placing them into their case he rubbed his temples in what looked to be irritation.

"What's the matter?" Haruki wondered.

"The terrible two keep staring at me with looks that are like bullets being fired from a gun." What a tragically poetic thing to say.

Haruki looked over to see Mitsuru and Minoru eying their cousin from across the room. Looked like the act was about to begin, "Why are you over here by yourself? Aren't you a host?" asked Haruki.

"No one came to sit with me other than you." muttered Kichiro flatly.

Haruki felt that same guilt fill her once again. That same feeling she got yesterday when she saw his sad, lonely eyes. Now that she thought about it, Kichiro was always by himself. During lunch, before, and after class. He never spoke to anyone.

Before Haruki could say anything, Mitsuru and Minoru gathered around their cousin with their arms draped casually around his shoulders. They were closing in for the kill. "Kichiro," grinned the devilish older twin Mitsuru.

"I want to play a game." whispered Minoru in his ear, trying to tickle him with his breath.

By now, their customers had gathered around, and were leaning in anticipating what would happen next. Haruki started to feel worse for Kichiro as the moment went on. He looked so irritated, but instead of lashing out at their prodding he just sat there.

"Since you're all by yourself anyway," started Mitsuru again.

"We'll keep you company." Minoru finished.

They leaned their foreheads against the boy's pounding temples. A shade of embarrassment covered his face. His beautifully constructed irises were now dull, and shadowed by his bangs. This wasn't just embarrassment, he was ashamed.

"He's not alone." announced Haruki, standing up from her chair. The twins looked at her dirtily. She was interrupting their little game, "I'm his first customer."

Kichiro's head bolted up, as he stared at the girl shocked. What was she saying?!

He wasn't the only one taken off guard. So was big brother Tamotsu who was eavesdropping, "Haruki?" asked the prince in distress.

"What? Can't I choose a host? If I have to be here, then I might as well right?" she asked.

"But… but Haruki!" protested Tamotsu.

"Starting today, I'd like you to be my host, okay Kichiro?" she asked smiling at him.

His eyes shined radiantly, but they looked away, "Alright." he whispered.

"Looks like Kichiro has a playmate." said Minoru. His brother crossed over to Haruki's side, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I can have multiple toys." he whispered, placing his hand under her chin.

"Not my Haruki you can't!" growled Tamotsu, about to full on round house kick the Hitachiin brother _"sexually harassing" _his sister.

"Oi, calm down boss." grimaced Mitsuru.

Minoru wrapped his cousin in an embrace. Kichiro cringed. "Looks like I've already won." challenged the younger twin.

Mitsuru's eyes shot back over at his brother, who was grinning greedily, while running his long fingers through his toy's hair, "Get a life Minoru." he growled, pulling Kichiro from his embrace, and placing him within his own arms.

The twins glared at each other seeking murder. Kichiro was squished in the middle, his head slumped again. So embarrassed he couldn't look up from the tiles that lined the floor.

"Excuse me," chimed the bubbly giant Moru, as he bounded up to the group happily, "sorry to interupt, but Usa-chan is trying to rest." he put his index finger to his lips, "so lets be quiet so he can sleep."

Emiko approached the group next, pressing up her glasses, "I think we should start the host club with something big." announced the girl, "Tamotsu and I had a discussion earlier, and we decided that a dance was in order. It will be held Friday…" she smiled beautifully, "so please buy your tickets soon."

The girls crowded around her to sign up on her clipboard, and hand over the money for a ticket.

"A dance?" asked Haruki to her brother who had all the answers.

"Yes," he seemed to immediately grow exceedingly chipper, "the girls will get to dance with their favorite host, and whoever has been noticed the most throughout the night by us will receive a kiss on the cheek from the host of their choice."

She wanted to say that it sounded sort of silly, but she knew it would only send her brother into a corner of woe, so she resisted the urge to say it.

"A party sounds fun." said Moru.

"Betcha I can get more girls to dance with me." challenged Mitsuru.

"It's on." accepted Minoru.

Kichiro wiggled out of their constriction, and started to gather his possessions slowly. He was still spacing out from shock.

"You going to come Kichiro?" asked Haruki.

Kichiro looked up at her shyly, and tried to translate her words in his brain. "I don't know…" he murmured.

"Oh," answered Haruki, sort of disappointed, "if you should decide to come, please save a dance for me okay?" she asked smiling.

What was it about this girl? Why didn't she turn away like the rest? No one else had the courage to approach him, and those who did he normally shot down with an insult. He just couldn't do that to her. "Will do." he confirmed, slinging the bag over his shoulder, and heading for the exit.

Haruki watched as the girls started to file out of the third music room. Hosting hours were over, and soon she could also head home. Today was certainly interesting. She couldn't doubt that.

Author's Notes: Chapter two complete! What a crazy bunch of characters. I dunno how Bisco Hatori kept up with all the mayhem. There's so many with so much variety, but in the end that's what made it an amazing anime. I have school now so my updates are a bit laggy, but I'll get to chapter 3 soon I promise =D please leave me feedback! Have a great weekend everyone! =D


	3. Chapter 3: Whimsical Waltz

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 3: The Whimsical Waltz_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

Without us realizing its presence, time passes through us so quickly. One moment it's the beginning of the week, and another moment later we're anticipating the coming days of the weekend. For the customers of the host club, they waited patiently for Friday night, when they would be greeted at the door with a warm welcome, by lovely boys dressed in fancy attire. All ready to escort them onto the dance floor.

The ballroom was heavily decorated with expensive lighting, with a speaker on each corner of the room to help project any music being performed. Right now a lovely serenade was being strummed on violins to greet the guests' ears as they filed in.

Amongst that group of ladies, was the King's little sister Haruki. Who despite only coming because her brother begged her to, was actually looking forward to seeing Kichiro. He was very quiet, but throughout the week she actually got him to talk to her a bit during hosting hours. He didn't seem interested in the whole hosting idea at all, but for some reason he always came back. Perhaps he just had nothing better to do? She did learn a few things about him as well. Not that he told her these things up front, these were just completely obtained by observation.

First off, he seemed like a workaholic. He always had papers or a book in front of his face. This in turn gave him a broad vocabulary, with a vivid way of speaking with detail. He only wore his glasses when he worked, so she assumed they were reading glasses only. Another thing she observed, was his unwelcoming aura he had around his cousins. She understood they could be a little overbearing, but she was starting to think there was something else there.

As she crossed the ballroom her eager brother leapt down from the balcony, and pounced on her, "Haruuuuuuuuuki!" He beamed, swaying back and forth with her in a brotherly chokehold of affection, "You came!" he was very pleased.

"Senpai! I can't-" she hacked, "breathe!" she was trying to pry herself out of his clutches.

"And you're even calling me senpai! You're so cute!" he exclaimed still rocking back and forth.

"Hey boss," Mitsuru walked up to him. He was in a black dress shirt, with a satin baby blue vest, and black dress pants, "I think you might want to let go."

Haruki was turning blue.

Tamotsu dropped her frantically, and she stumbled a bit. "I'm sorry." he apologized, now composed, "are you okay?" Tamotsu was wearing a off-white satin dress shirt, with a black vest, and blazer. He had black pants to match.

"I could be better…" she muttered, working a crease out of her dress with her hands. Reluctant to wear it in the first place, her dad prodded her from morning until that night to wear the silly, frilly, pink thing. It was so embarrassing. She wanted to burn it.

Minoru was next to come up to the fussy siblings, "You might want to start greeting the girls sir." he said jerking his head toward the door. He had his hands shoved lazily in his pockets. Sporting a white dress shirt, a shiny satin orange vest, with untouched white pants and matching shoes.

"Very well," nodded Tamotsu in agreement. "have fun Haruki." he said patting her on the head before walking off toward the open double doors.

Haruki watched her brother walk off before her eyes went from one twin to the other. They were shooting death glares at each other quietly, "So why do you two argue so much?" she wondered aloud.

Both sets of eyes looked at her, and smirks appeared on their faces in exact unison. Slinking over to her in a very feline fashion, they wrapped themselves around her and started to taunt, "A better question is…" murmured Mitsuru.

"How are you able to talk to Chiro-kun without him exploding on you?" finished Minoru.

"He has quite the temper you know." stated Mitsuru.

These two loathed each other, but could always be in perfect harmony when they wanted to be. It was sickening. Little devil type couldn't begin to cover it, "Maybe if you guys didn't treat him like a toy all the time he'd actually respond to you." temper? She couldn't believe that. Kichiro was always so soft spoken.

"That's enough out of you two." growled a voice. There in front of them stood Kichiro dressed in simplicity. A black dress shirt with a white vest. His hands were in his pockets, his shoulders tensed. He wasn't happy.

"There you are Chiro-kun." smiled Minoru, using the new nickname he had come up with for his toy. Now snaking his cousin into an embrace, Kichiro scowled.

"Didn't think you'd show up." grinned Mitsuru, placing an index finger beneath Kichiro's chin to lift his gaze to meet his own. Kichiro tried to pull his face away, but Mitsuru just leaned in closer. By now they were getting girls' attention from every direction. Haruki's heart sank a little. Why did they have to embarrass him all the time? They were like snakes constricting life out of their pray before they bit the head off the victim.

That's when the waltz started to play over the sound speakers. By now most of the guests had arrived, and Tamotsu was back on his balcony bringing attention to himself so he could make a speech, "Welcome ladies," he started, as the music slowly faded out, "As you all know, one of you will be selected to receive a kiss from a host of your choice. So dance to your hearts content, and who knows, you might just get lucky." He said holding out his hand, and winking.

Haruki watched as a bunch of girls fainted around her. She shook her head. Her brother always loved to be the center of attention. When she turned back to the cousins, Kichiro stood alone once more. It seemed the Hitachiin twins had been dragged off by a couple eager fan girls. She offered him a small smile, but didn't get one in return. He was still quite the unhappy camper. This left Haruki in a bad position.

Meanwhile, Tamotsu was having girls lining up to dance with him. He seemed to be the most popular. Emiko strolled up in a deep purple dress that came to her knees. Her hair was done up in some traditional fashion. Her signature glasses still remained on the bridge of her nose. "Hey Tamotsu, we need to talk about something." she was always so serious.

Tamotsu smiled at her gently, "There you are Mommy. I was wondering where you disappeared to."

Emiko didn't approve of the name, "Would it kill you to call me Emiko?" she scoffed.

It was as if he hadn't heard her, "Would you like to dance?" he asked offering out his hand.

Her face slightly flushed, "Suou…" she growled.

His smile broadened as he took her hand, "Excuse me ladies," he said winking to the line of girls. They all melted to the floor, as he walked off with Emiko. Taking her to the dance floor, the waltz started back up, and he started to lead, "You wanted to speak with me?" he asked, spinning her.

"Yes," she huffed. Still slightly irritated by his performance to sucker more girls into his line. She started to take the lead from him, "the cosplay I ordered for Monday's hosting hours might not make it here in time. The girls are really looking forward to it, but now it might not arrive until a day or two after the assigned date."

"Is that all?" he asked, stopping them both, and spinning her into him. "Then we'll just have to change the date. I'll announce it to the ladies before the end of the night." he winked "No worries." His hands were cupped over hers on her hips. Her back pressed against his front. She grew more frustrated, and wiggled from his hold.

Straightening out her glasses she nodded, "Understood." after that she walked off. He was way too touchy feely for her liking.

"Next," called Tamotsu, holding out his hand to the first girl in line.

Haruki had excused herself to the restroom to have a moment of silence. It had already been a chaotic night. Of course it seemed Kichiro could use the peace and quiet more than her. She felt a little guilty leaving him out there by himself, but he seemed to like independence, so he probably didn't mind. She had seen him upset before, but somehow it was different tonight. He wasn't just upset, he was openly angry.

When she came out of the restroom, and entered into the hallway to turn the corner, she stopped, and hid. It seemed Kichiro was being spoken to by a girl. She looked nervous, and he seemed unyielding. Holding up an envelope in between his middle and index fingers, he nodded, "This is from you, is it not?" he asked, with his soft voice.

She nodded slowly, trembling with uncertainty.

"You seemed to put a lot of thought into it." he murmured, now staring at the envelope thoughtfully, "however… it was quite boring."

The girl was stunned. How could he say something so rude? After she spilled her heart out to him. She had heard he was cold, but she figured it wasn't true.

Haruki was also stunned, as she watched from a few meters away.

"The fact that you didn't even have the courage to walk up to me and say it. You couldn't even deliver the envelope on your own accord. You had someone else do it for you." He flipped it from back to front, to front, and back and paused, "and to top it off you couldn't even make it an interesting read." with that, he tore it in half, and placed the shreds in her quivering hands. "you waste my time." he said it all so swiftly, like it was a routine for him.

The girl quickly ran off with tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never been so heartbroken. To hear from someone she had adored for almost a year now that she was boring, and a waste of time… it was shattering.

Haruki stood astonished. Unable to move. Her jaw hung open. She had never seen Kichiro act that way. She continued to watch his movements, as he leaned back against the wall behind him, and slid down to the floor. Sighing to himself, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Haruki had to say something. She couldn't just let him get away with that. Marching up to him, with her arms crossed she stood in front of him. She was angry, "What was that?" she asked.

He looked up at her, his hand still midway through his hair. Quickly it fell to the side, and he blinked. His face showed no remorse. No sadness. Nothing. "One of those confession letters. They annoy me, but follow me like the plague. I swear you girls can't get the hint."

This only offended Haruki, "I don't know from experience, but don't you think it would be hard to confess feelings to someone? Especially someone who has a reputation to throw it all back in their face? Don't you feel even a tinge of guilt?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "The first couple times perhaps, but you'd think they'd have learned by now." he slowly stood to his feet.

"There's a nicer way to say you're not interested you know?!" barked Haruki. "Why be a host if you don't even care about girls' feelings?"

His lips twitched, and his eyes looked away, "I wasn't aiming to ever be one of those items for girls to spill their problems to. I came there the first day because I figured it might be a good place to study. They just roped me in as a host because of my last name. However, I didn't get any guests, because most people know me better, especially girls."

"Know you? Or what you want them to know?" asked Haruki, "if you hate girls so much, why didn't you tell me to leave? I sat with you every day this week."

"Can't cause confrontation with someone with the last name of Suou. It wouldn't look good on a college application." he replied.

Haruki was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say. Looking away from him, she lowered her head in defeat, "So… none of this even matters to you then?" her eyes snapped back at him. "You know, I considered you someone I could call a friend. Someone I could depend on in this crazy place. You're so deceiving!" she growled.

"No," he stated simply. "All of this around you. This whole thing. This _host_ club. Is it not deceiving? Do these boys not come here to put on little acts to make these girls feel like they actually have meaning? All of this is a hoax! I'm the most real you'll ever see here."

Haruki was once again taken back. Somehow, even though what he said was cruel… she couldn't disagree. She had nothing to fire back at him. She started to walk away, but paused, "Maybe they're all a little deceiving, but at least they're not alone."

Kichiro lowered his head, listening to her footsteps fade away. He was alone once again. Her words continued to echo inside his eardrums. Wavering inside him, it just wouldn't fade.

When that following Monday came around, and the host club was open. Haruki was reluctant to go. When she came inside, she was stunned to see Kichiro was at his normal area. Working on some homework as usual. He seemed frustrated. Something was on his mind… something wavering. Haruki sat at her brother's station. Not being able to help the occasional glance in Kichiro's direction from time to time. She hadn't noticed just how beside himself he looked, when he sat all alone. Was she too harsh Friday?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Moru passing out his daily sweets, "Haruuuu-chan!" he beamed, holding out the tray of small snack cakes to her, "Would you like some cake?" she took a piece absently, and murmured a thank you. Moru looked worried for a bit, but continued onward around the table.

Usagi was helping with the distribution. So his cousin wouldn't have to do it all by himself. He noticed the quiet ginger haired Hitachiin sitting all by himself. Walking over to him with a tray at hand he asked, "Would you like one?" Usagi was small, with a small voice, but he was so formal it was almost intimidating. Kichiro glanced over at the boy, and shook his head quietly. Usagi walked off without protest. He was just trying to look out for everyone, even Kichiro.

Haruki stared down at her small plate of cake. Standing to her feet, she walked over to Kichiro, set down her plate beside him, and sat down in the chair next to him. He glanced over at the cake, but not her. "Eat it." She said holding out the plastic fork toward him.

"I'm not hungry." he protested with a monotone voice. His stomach gurgled right on cue.

"Yes, you are." argued Haruki.

"What does it matter?" he asked. His lead snapped on his pencil, and he sighed.

He wasn't using a pen? What happened to the confidence? Before he could really react Haruki walked off, and came back with a pencil sharpener. Holding it out to him he stared at it, and started to sharpen the broken tip. "It matters because eating is important." she finally answered.

He looked at her, and grimaced. "Why should you be concerned?" he muttered, continuing on his report.

Haruki took a deep breath, "Look, maybe others can't see beyond that clever little disguise you've created, but I can. I know that the person I talked to last week is who you really are. Friday was just the mask you wear so outsiders will look the other way."

Kichiro stopped writing, and stared at the page, but he said nothing.

"Just think about it alright? I'm not asking for a lot. Just a little of your time. You may not believe it, but I still want to be your friend. You may be alone Kichiro, but you don't have to be." with that, she stood up, and walked back to her brother's station.

Time ticked on, and the host club had closed. The hosts were getting ready to leave, when Kichiro walked up to Haruki. The plate that once held a small piece of cake was clean, as he tossed it in the trash, making sure she saw, "See you tomorrow." he cooed. A small smile appeared on his face, as he turned and walked away. Maybe she would be the one… to break the walls he built so sky high… maybe.

She watched him disappear out the door, and smiled faintly. There was something good inside him… somewhere.

Author's Notes: Gosh, this felt like a long chapter xD but it was well worth it. I'm sorry this sort of seems like it only revolves around Haruki and Kichiro, but I promise to have chapters more dedicated to the other characters as the story progresses. My goal was to at least make them all appear once in this chapter, and although Usagi and Moru only appeared for a little bit, they actually made quite the impact. XD I think Usagi's kind of cute =3 something about small and docile sounds adorable. Kichiro is my favorite though so far. XD Anyone else got a favorite yet? Please leave me feedback. I love hearing what you guys think =D and have a wonderful Labor Day.


	4. Chapter 4: The Artificial Getaway

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 4: The Artificial Getaway_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

_With eyes closed, the only thing I could hear was the steady streams of water crashing and cascading. The smell refreshing, although only manufactured by some false nature. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by an artificial getaway._

"I should have known better by now to recognize when Tamotsu has a plan," thought the stranded Haruki, examining the tropical enclosure around her. She was alone, how did this happen? It started to flow back into her present memory, as a scowl started to present itself on her pale face.

That morning Tamotsu woke her up early, and told her to get dressed. Groggily she did what he insisted, nearly falling over when trying to put on some shorts. After getting dressed, Tamotsu dragged his sleepy sister into the limo, and being so tired, she fell asleep on his shoulder. The rest she was drawing a complete blank.

Her eyes scanned the area, hoping to see something that might lead her anywhere but a dead end. Nothing but vegetation surrounded her, until she noticed a gold plate on one of the palm trees. _"Welcome to the Ootori Island Getaway!"_

It all made sense now; she remembered her brother babbling on and on at dinner the night before about going to Emiko's family resort. He claimed it was a way for the host club to get better acquainted with each other and _become a family_. Just like his father, Tamotsu would be a real family man some day.

"Haruki…" she heard a timid voice murmur.

When she turned around, her eyes stared down at the childlike senpai staring back at her. His eyes were very baby blue, "Usa-Senpai right?" she wondered, hoping she got his name right.

"Call me Usagi, no need for formalities." he said gently, his arms that were usually snuggled a pink rabbit, now hung limply at his sides. It looked just as unnatural as the trees around them.

"What're you doing here all by yourself?" Haruki asked curiously.

"I was taken by a current. Assuming everyone panicked they're probably looking for me, but I was actually enjoying the solitude of adventure. Now I'm back at the start. Seems they're still out looking for me." he explained, planting himself on the ground, wiggling his toes.

"They're probably really worried you know."

"There's nothing for them to worry about. I'm fine right?" he murmured, staring out at the water.

"They don't know that."

"They will."

Haruki couldn't understand this guy. From what her father said, the boy he knew as Honey-Senpai was very bubbly and cheerful. Usagi was so reserved and slightly rude in his approach. Taking a seat beside him, she dug her toes into the sand, "did Kichiro come today?"

"Kaoru's son?" he wondered, "No."

"Do you know his dad?" she asked.

"I only know what my father's told me. Frankly, Kaoru, Kichiro's father, and Hikaru, Mitsuru and Minoru's father, were in fact very close when they were teenagers. From what I've heard, Hikaru became the successor of their mother's clothes design company, and Kaoru's one of his associates, but for some reason, in power Kaoru is far below his brother." Haruki listened intently while Usagi explained, "both of them became pretty consumed with work, neither having much time to spend with their children. That might be why Mitsuru and Minoru never get along, however that's just a hunch."

Comparing it to her life, she figured that it was plausible. Her mother was a lawyer, so she could only be around so often. The only difference was, was that her mother made sure to spend time with Haruki when she could. Her dad was a kindergarten teacher, so whenever they got off for vacation so did he. They always went on extravagant trips during that time, but only every now and again could their mother attend.

"If the Hitachiin brothers hate to look alike, I don't see why they don't just change their appearance." muttered Usagi, breaking Haruki's thoughts.

"Maybe they don't want to." she murmured.

"Then they shouldn't argue over nothing." he retorted.

"!" the sudden scream came from her brother's big mouth as he gracefully, in slow motion, came skipping toward his sister. Haruki slid over a bit to dodge her brother's attempt. Concealed in the sand was a banana peel, which propelled the air headed king into the water.

"Ahahaha, good going boss." barked Mitsuru who was following behind him.

Minoru was next to descend from the rainforest, chewing on a ripe banana quietly to himself, and discarding the peel onto the sand (the one Tamotsu slipped on was Mitsuru's). "Hey, Usa-Senpai we've been looking all over for you." Minoru whined, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, sorry about that." spoke Usagi, with a monotone voice.

Emiko had made a quiet entrance as she scribbled, _"Need more available trashcans." _on her clipboard. Her lip arched in disgust over Minoru littering, "Glad to see you're safe Usagi."

Finally, Moru unenthusiastically forced his steps out onto the sand. Haruki had never seen the tall boy so down. It was disheartening to see the absence of spring in his ever so large step. When he laid weary eyes on Usagi, he sat down in front of him like a child would after just being punished. His eyes filled with tears, "Are you mad at me Usagi?"

Usagi stared at his blubbering cousin and shook his head quietly, then patted him on the head, "You don't need to be so concerned with me all the time you know. Find a little time to enjoy yourself too."

Haruki was amazed at how he interacted with his cousin. More gentle in his approach, she could see that somewhere in those baby blue eyes was concern and affection for him.

"Haruki, I slipped." whined Tamotsu finally half recovering from his embarrassing slip, "the forest was so scary! I pricked my finger on some wild vine." his eyes were now tear-filled, begging Haruki for sympathy.

She sighed, and decided to follow Usagi's example by patting him on the head, "there, there." she murmured, "We have a first aid in the limo. Let's go get it cleaned up." She said taking his good hand in hers.

His bright smile returned to his face, as they headed for the exit. The others of course, followed suit.

"Oi, don't you want to explore this place Haruki?" wondered Mitsuru, now walking on the other side of her.

She didn't expect him to be so forward toward her, "Not really. These resorts don't do a whole lot for me. I've been to far too many for it to be impressive. They're all the same."

"Next time we'll go to a beach just for you Haruki." beamed Tamotsu.

"I'd like that." she said with a small smile. For what was supposed to be a day that brought the host club together, she really didn't see much of a change. The group was all still very distant, but she did learn a little bit about Usagi and the Hitachiin family. At least that was something.

When Monday rolled around, the host club decided to hold an island getaway cosplay day. The boys were dressed in Hawaiian like attire, revealing some of the finer points of their bodies to their customers. When Haruki arrived that day, she wished she had gone straight home. She figured that Saturday would have been the last artificial getaway she'd have to deal with for quite some time, but of course she was wrong. She couldn't even study in such an environment. There was too many exotic birds and insects flying around for her to concentrate.

"Uh, hey…" murmured Kichiro as he quietly strolled up to the table she was seated at.

"Hey," she noticed he was in his regular uniform, "not going to dress up?" she wondered.

"Minoru and Mitsuru are trying their hardest to dress me up, but luckily I escaped… for now." he whispered, resting his head on the table.

"Tired?" she asked.

"Exhausted." he corrected.

"You seemed distracted in class today." noted Haruki.

"I crammed for a chemistry exam last night. The periodic table had to be known completely, because we'd have to fill out a blank one the next day. She assigned this test two days after introducing us to the periodic table, and because I could careless about iron and stupid compounds like that, I didn't take it seriously until she told us we had a test the following day! I was up until 2A.M. last night and I feel like I've been hit by a limousine!" vented the ginger haired Hitachiin, running his fingers through his hair.

A small chuckle escaped Haruki's lips, and Kichiro sat up with a glare across his face, "What's so funny?"

"I'm just not used to you complaining so openly. I'm sort of glad." she said with a smile.

"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It means you're trusting me a little bit more." she answered.

Nearby the troublesome two had heard their cousin's rant on chemistry and marched up to him with costume parts in their hands, "we found you Kichiro." they said in unison.

Kichiro turned to them and his cheeks turned red, "can't you guys take a hint? Leave me alone." he barked.

Mitsuru laughed, "Come on, lets get you dressed." he said dragging Kichiro away.

"Now, now no changing in front of a lady. It's rude." Minoru teased as he also dragged him away to the men's room.

Kichiro's eyes never left Haruki as they begged for her assistance. For some reason though, she didn't move. When he came back he was dressed like they had been. His hair a firey mess and green eyes dull. When he walked passed other tables, the girls stared, because somehow the look made him even more attractive.

The twins both chuckled at their cousin's dismay, poking and prodding him as they walked on either side of him. His head was hung, embarrassment shadowed his face, "What cha think Haruki?" Mitsuru asked.

Haruki frowned slightly, seeing Kichiro so down. He didn't put up a fight because he was just too tired to, "you guys should leave him alone now. You got what you wanted so leave him be."

"You want to play with him yourself don't you Haruki?" Minoru commented with a grin.

"That's not what I said." she answered.

Before anymore arguments could be made, the twins let Kichiro go, and went their separate ways to be of more use to their customers. Kichiro stood in the same spot and never moved. He didn't even lift his head.

"They're gone now." Haruki whispered.

"Does it… look as bad as it feels?" wondered Kichiro, lifting his head to look her in the eyes.

"You look fine." she reassured.

He slowly sat back down and rested his head once again on the table.

"How do you think you did on the chemistry exam?" she asked.

"My teacher ripped mine up… I fell asleep during the exam… she failed me, along with fifteen others in my class." he explained hollowly.

"No way…" murmured Haruki.

"To make up for the lost points, she wants us all to do presentations over certain chemicals. We can gain back lost points by doing it, it's due at the end of the week." his voice was nearly gone now. Like any energy he had was evaporating rapidly.

"I'll help you however I can if you like." she waited for him to decline, but after a moment of silence she realized that Kichiro was so tired, he had fallen asleep once again. A frown appeared on her face. He worked so hard, but for what? What gave him such blind ambition? What did he gain from working himself to exhaustion? Did he ever give himself a break? Perhaps after this strenuous week was over and his work had paid off she could convince him to come to the beach with the rest of them. To be apart of the apparent family that was coming together.

Author's notes: It's been forever since I updated this, sorry. I've been caught up in Junior year of high school and it's driving me to the brink of insanity. Hoping this little holiday break will grant me more free time to write. So keep checking cause I might be updating this regularly for a while.


	5. Chapter 5: Into the Ocean

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 5: Into the Ocean**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

The week went on and each day after classes were over and the host club hours began, Kichiru brought in his laptop to create his presentation for Chemistry. All the while Haruki provided tips on slideshow formats and so on. That Friday Kichiro strolled into the host club with a spring in his step. Thanks to all of his and Haruki's efforts, he earned the grade he originally intended on the previous test. Haruki figured now was the time to celebrate.

That Saturday morning when Kichiro awoke, he was reluctant to move from his slumbering state. The blare of his alarm clock was barely enough to wake him, but after stumbling out of bed and shutting off the annoying beeping, he sighed. With footsteps heavy as lead, he went to the bathroom to shower and prepare for the day. Just when he was slipping on his socks, he heard the doorbell ring over and over again. The help had taken the weekend off so he was forced to walk down the stairs, with one sock on to the front door.

"Hey Cuz," greeted Mitsuru and Minoru in unison.

The door was immediately slammed in their faces. Kichiro went back upstairs without giving it a second thought. If those two thought he'd waste a day off on them, they had another thing coming. Shutting his door behind him, he sat back down on the edge of his bed and put on his other sock, and his orange Converse. Pulling back his curtains, his window revealed a bright blooming day. However, as soon as he opened it, he was wishing he hadn't.

"Kichiro Hitachiin! Come out to play!" shouted Tamotsu on a mega phone, hanging out of the sunroof of his limousine. Haruki was leaning up against the limo, smiling and waving innocently.

His eyebrow perked in surprise. When Haruki had mentioned the beach the previous day, he really didn't take her too seriously. He wanted to use this day to relax. Something told him that going to the beach, despite it being a relaxing place, wouldn't grant him that with the host club running amok around him. Another sigh escaped his perfect lips when his eyes met hers. She really seemed eager to take him along.

So before he knew it, Kichiro was crammed in a limousine with the Suou siblings, with his irritating twin cousins coasting slowly behind them, each in their own transportation. Kichiro was wearing a tank top, button up white shirt, and tan cargo shorts. Such simplicity wasn't normal for someone with such a high social status, but he was never into the glamorous life anyway. His feet were on a duffle bag he was forced to pack. Emiko Ootori's family owned a private hotel near the beach they'd be visiting, which was also owned by the Ootori family. Tamotsu said they'd all be staying the night there, which really meant, _"You're staying, get over it."_

When they arrived Kichiro couldn't believe what he saw next. This wasn't a host vacation, this was a way for the host club to take money from the customers, as they all were scattered along the beach, waiting to be greeted. Who else could be behind this scheme except Emiko. She was already there, sitting on some expensive beach chair, and typing away on a laptop.

Tamotsu went to go greet his girls, Mitsuru and Minoru immediately went to separate sides of the beach to find seashells with their customers, when Moru and Usagi arrived a moment later they were dragged off by two girls who wanted to build sandcastles. This lift Kichiro standing side by side with Haruki, who was dressed in a marigold summer dress, which her father and brother picked out especially for the occasion. He hair was tied up loosely in a bun, with little curls falling here and there. Kichiro glanced over at her, wondering what he should do.

"Thank you for coming today. I know you really didn't want to…" spoke Haruki staring out at the ocean, "I just didn't want to be alone today, and I figured since you'd probably be by yourself away, that we could be alone together." she smiled.

A hint of red colored his pale cheeks, "Sure." he murmured.

She took his wrist and pulled him along to walk with her. Giving up on resisting anymore he just followed her with little effort put into each step, "So what would you like to do?" she asked.

"I dunno," he mumbled, sounding uninterested. He seemed distracted, staring fascinated by the rolling waves, churning and cascading gracefully, caressing the sand.

"We could go for a swim." she suggested.

"I'd rather not." he responded, walking off along the coast.

"Are you really that upset you came?" she asked, following him.

He shoved his hands in his pockets lazily, "I don't know." that very reply was becoming a bit repetitive.

"You should at least try to have some fun Kichiro. Look around you, this place is gorgeous and you're so busy pouting you're missing out on all it has to offer. Lighten up." she urged.

His eyes wandered back to the ocean, as he pictured himself falling from the sky, into it.. Losing his breath for a moment, he inhaled deeply and looked to Haruki, "I'm sorry, I'm just not in the mood today."

She stopped walking and watched him move further and further away from her. He paused after a good distance had been put between them, but did not turn to her. He waited for her to say something, something that would make him want to turn around and see only her, if only for a second in time, but after a long pause, he could only hear the restless waves as they beat against the shore. When he looked over his shoulder, she was gone.

Continuing down the shore, closer to the water's edge now, he watched his feet follow one another. Right, left, right, left. No matter what it was always the same. Right, left, right, left. No matter how he looked at it, this was always how it had to be. It was the only way to move forward. By looking back now, it would only distract him. Haruki was better off kept at a distance. Better off alone, than beside someone who didn't even have a mirror in his bathroom just because he couldn't stand the sight of himself. Things had gotten so hard, but they weren't always this way…

His daydream continued, the emotions all so very real. Feeling his body plunge into the depths of the sea, when he opened his eyes he could see nothing and that was a good feeling. The water limited him. The water was his tears. Everything over the past eight years he had feared, came together as droplets, and eventually enveloped him. He could sit at the bottom of this pool of regret and sorrow, and what was even more painful, was that he would never drown, just struggle with little to no oxygen. This is what his life had become.

When his eyes shifted back into focus, he was near an extremely large cliff. He wanted to move in closer and see the view that awaited him at the top. He looked like a lonely prince when he stood up there. Alone above the world, standing on his throne, staring down mercilessly at the rapids below. He was a few feet from the edge. He wasn't stupid enough to get in falling range.

"Chiro-kun," a chill went up his spine when he heard the voice of Minoru from behind him. Turning around his eyes immediately turned cold. The twin brothers stood side by side, each with a hand on their hip, smirking mischievously.

"What do you both want?" Kichiro scoffed.

"You looked lonely up here," said Mitsuru smoothly, pulling him into an embrace, "I wanted to keep you company. Minoru's just in the way like always." he growled.

Minoru scowled, and swiped the ginger haired boy for himself, holding him gently, "He'd rather spend some time with me. I'm a lot more gentle than you are Mitsuru."

Some girls watched nearby, going fan girl over the Hitachiin love triangle that was taking place above them, "What's going on?" asked the approaching Haruki. When she saw what was going on she instantly seemed concerned, "oh no…" she murmured, making her way to the top of the cliff.

The tug of war raged on until all at once Kichiro exploded. Taking a few steps back he screamed, "Knock it off!" That's when he felt it. Suddenly, there was nothing left to balance on, and he started to fall backwards.

"Kichiro!" screamed the twins.

Haruki came up just a moment late and started to rush toward the edge, ready to leap at a moment's notice, when a hand reached out and caught one of hers. Looking back, it was Tamotsu, "Let me go Tamotsu! I have to save him."

"That's no job for a girl!" he boomed.

"Kichiro can't swim. What do we do?" Minoru shook frantically.

As soon as Haruki heard that she forced herself out of Tamotsu's hold and leapt off the cliff.

"Haruki!" Tamotsu screamed, watching his sister disappear into the water. He was about to jump too when the twins each took his wrists and held him back.

"Wait boss," said Mitsuru.

"Have a little faith in her. If she can bridge the distance Kichiro's made with everyone, then she's a lot stronger than she looks." Minoru finished.

"That's my sister!" barked Tamotsu.

"Just watch," urged Minoru.

They all looked below them, and surfacing from the deep blue was Haruki, with Kichiro in tow. Everyone met her down on solid ground a few minutes later. Once she got close enough, Tamotsu met them, and slung Kichiro's other arm around his shoulders to support him. The boy was weak, choking up water and gasping for breath, they laid him on the beach and gave him some space. Haruki ran her fingers through his hair to pull it back from being matted in on his face. His emerald eyes were closed, taking long breaths in and out.

"Kichiro, are you okay?" wondered Haruki.

Kichiro's eyes slowly opened, gradually they focused on the girl who was hovering above him. Her dress saturated, her hair, everywhere now. He couldn't make sense of it. In fact he couldn't put his thoughts in order. They were all jumbled up and disoriented.

"Please say something," pleaded Haruki.

Emiko, had a medical team on stand by, waiting to move with a snap of her fingers.

Kichiro was finally able to gather himself, as he pushed Haruki's hand out of his hair, and sat up, hugging his knees, his wet hair fell in front of his face. "…What the hell were you thinking?" He whispered.

Haruki was shocked, she couldn't formulate words.

"Why do you always have to help me? Why are you always there?!" He boomed, jumping to his feet, but stumbling a bit from his brain still being scrambled, "You're such an idiot!" he boomed, "I don't know if you just feel sorry for me, or what, but I don't need your sympathy Haruki Suou! Okay!? So just leave me the hell alone!" with that said, Kichiro stomped off to the hotel. He was greeted by the medical team, who needed to look him over, whether he wanted them to or not.

Haruki sat on the sand struck speechless. She wasn't sure what she had done wrong, but the idea that Kichiro was willing and perhaps wanting to drown was enough to make her choke up a bit. Her head hung in shame, as her brother moved in to hold her. She didn't fight him. She just laid limply in his embrace. The rest of the hosts silently circled around them, lost for words. It seemed they were all thinking the same thing, as their eyes reverted to the sunset, and the harsh, cold waves falling beneath it.

Author's Notes: Hey all, just had my last day of the semester so now I'm off for Winter break! =D Yay! Now hopefully I can get some writing done. Decided to leave this one on sort of cliff hanger (excuse the cliff pun) so I could pick it back up later. =] Happy Holidays all! Check back for updates soon. What will happen to next?


	6. Chapter 6: Simon

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 6: Simon_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

_As soon as I was submerged in water, I realized that soon I wouldn't be able to breathe. Just like how I had felt for quite some time, the illusion was becoming a reality. This reality would be the death of me, or it would have, if I wasn't suddenly rescued by someone who barely even knew me. I can't make heads or tails of it…_

Gathered around a long dining room table, all the hosts, plus Emiko and Haruki, minus Kichiro sat quietly, indulging noiselessly in the food that was presented to them. Although it was very delicious, none of them would compliment it. They were all too busy glancing over at the empty chair which should have held the ginger haired Hitachiin. He hadn't shown his face since the moment he went off on Haruki and hid in the confines of his room.

"_You're such an idiot!" he boomed, "I don't know if you just feel sorry for me, or what, but I don't need your sympathy Haruki Suou! Okay!? So just leave me the hell alone!"_

Haruki remembered his words so vividly. They hadn't stopped echoing in her mind since the moment he walked away. Her eyes lost the glittering shine they used to possess. She nibbled at her food weakly, staring off into space.

Tamotsu was getting irritated. He didn't like to see his little sister so hurt. It was killing him. If he were to get up and go let the boy have it though, it would only make matters worse, so he buried it, keeping it locked inside himself.

Minoru grabbed the plate that was left untouched for the final host, and started placing bits of food onto it. Everyone watched him, but didn't say a word. He started to walk off with it, but turned to look back at the others, "I'll be back." he assured, then disappeared out of the dining room.

"Mi-chan seems concerned for Ki-chan." said Moru, fiddling with some noodles on his plate.

"He probably just feels guilty," said Mitsuru, "it was his fault Kichiro fell in the first place." of course he was first to pass the blame onto his twin brother.

"What were you three doing up there anyway?" questioned Usagi.

"We just found Kichiro daydreaming up there, so when I went to speak with him Minoru followed." scoffed the eldest Hitachiin.

"I hope everything's okay…" whispered Moru.

The Suou siblings made eye contact listening to the others speak, but stayed silent. The only words exhanged between them were through glances.

Rapping his knuckled against the wooden door, Minoru leaned against the doorframe of Kichiro's room, "Chiro-kun, I know you're angry, but you shouldn't starve yourself. I brought you some food." He waited for a reply, but there wasn't one, "I know it's all Mitsuru's fault you fell. Believe me, I'm mad at him too, but you might have been a little too hard of Haruki. She was just looking out for you." still silence was all that replied, "Chiro-kun…" whispered Minoru with a sigh, "I'll leave the food beside the door. Come and get it soon, before it gets cold." he set the plate down, and started back for the dining room.

Once he was gone, Kichiro opened the door and took the plate. He hadn't eaten all day and he was famished. Sitting on his bed he pulled one of the fancy rolls apart and popped little pieces of it in his mouth. His main focus was on the large window of his room. Hard rain was pounding against the glass. This weather always made him dreary. Nothing could be more befitting for the situation.

"He's locked up in his room. Won't say a word or make a sound…" reported Minoru after returning from his trip. He sat down at his place on the table, and immediately noticed the glare that was carved across his twin brother's face, "What's that look for?!"

"It's all your fault this happened… idiot." scoffed Mitsuru, with his chin rested against the palm of his hand.

"Me? You're the one who did it!" Minoru fired back.

"Excuse me," announced Haruki, getting up from the table.

"Haruki," said Tamotsu, "need me to escort you to your room?"

"No, it's alright. Goodnight everyone, I'm turning in early." she said, exiting the dining room.

Walking down the long staircase, she finally made it to her floor and started the long walk down the hallway. It felt like it was getting more and more narrow with each step she took. That's when she heard the sound of thunder and cringed. It caused her to stumble and fall toward a nearby door. Just then the door opened and she bumped into the unsuspecting Kichiro who was about to go downstairs to the kitchen to return the bowl and silverware. When their eyes first met, Kichiro's cold emerald eyes seemed to almost be glowing; His expression sullen. Haruki immediately stood up straight and her face turned bright red, "I'm sorry Kichiro, I-I stumbled a bit. I didn't mean to run into you." she was shaken up still from before.

He stared at her quietly, not saying a word. In a panic she started to walk off, but he put the plate and silverware down on the nearby dresser and grabbed her wrist to pull her back, "I'm sorry." he murmured, his hand trembling.

Thunder boomed again, and she stood frozen, feeling his cold hand tremor against her wrist, "I shouldn't have yelled at you before, but… no one had ever done anything like that for me before. It was such a huge risk."

When she turned her head to look back at him, his eyes were shadowed by his bangs, as he slowly loosened his grip and let go, "I've never been able to swim," he started to explain, "and one time… someone I knew fell off a boat we were on, into the ocean. I panicked, and did the first thing that came to mind. She didn't have a life preserver on, but I did, so once I got a hold of her I put it on her, to guarantee her life, forgetting the fact that I had no clue how to keep my head above water." he recalled the memory like it was yesterday, "luckily dad noticed and pulled us both out, but it made me realize how easy it was to die. It's the living part that's so hard."

Haruki listened to his story, starting to understand him just a little bit more, "I just, I didn't want you to be my life preserver Haruki. If something would have happened to you-" he started to say, but she cut him off.

"But nothing did." she said, "I'm fine Kichiro. We both are. You may not realize it, but you're really special, and one way or another I'm going to make you see that." He lifted his head to look at her, his eyes shining so much it seemed like he was about to cry, "When we first met, I'll admit I really did feel sorry for you, but after I got to know you a little, I was genuinely intrigued by you, and now all I want is to get to know you more, even if it's just a little at a time." She took his hand in hers, "So no more trying to hide okay? Cause you know when you do that, it just makes you more obvious in the long run." she grinned.

He stared at her speechless, unable to form words into phrases. Thunder fired off again, sounding like it was directly above them. Haruki's reflex was to cling to the nearest person which happened to be him. His cheeks turned rosy, "So even the little Suou isn't fearless." he murmured. His hand shook as he placed it on her head gently. She looked up at him surprised, and he let a small smile appear on his face, "let's get you to your room. Don't want you stumbling into anything else."

Kichiro took Haruki to her room, and just as he was turning to leave, his twin cousins and big brother Tamotsu were standing there staring at him. All three of them with their arms crossed.

"What were you doing with my sister?" wondered Tamotsu, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I was just showing her to her room Suou." replied Kichiro suddenly feeling two inches tall.

"Aww, Chiro-kun you pervert!" smirked Minoru pinching his cheek.

"Our boy's growing up!" teased Mitsuru, hugging him tightly.

"You two are so stupid! Get off of me!" groaned Kichiro.

"Kichiro…" Tamotsu said, a death glare spread across his face, "did you do anything to my sister?"

"Uh, wha? No!" answered Kichiro, starting to panic, while shaking off his cousins.

Haruki heard the hubbub outside her door, and opened it a crack, "Hey, would you guys keep it down, I'm trying to rest in here."

"Haruki!" exclaimed Tamotsu as he glomped his little sister, "are you okay? That wicked Hitachiin didn't hurt you did he? You know it's in their bloodline to be outlandish and filthy!"

"HEY!" yelled all three _outlandish _Hitachiins in unison.

"Seems like things are back to normal." noted Usagi, who was watching the whole thing beside Moru.

"Yeah, we're all a family again." Moru smiled.

Back in her room, Emiko smiled hearing all the fussing nearby. She was ordering roses for all the girls as an apology for Kichiro's behavior. Using his credit card number to do so. She learned all the best tricks from her father after all.

The next few days seemed to slowly drag by, once the middle of the week had been reached, a brand new cosplay was being introduced, "Welcome!" all the boys chimed, dressed in fancy waiter's attire, awaiting to do whatever the beautiful ladies requested.

The girls were all amazed by how breath taking they looked.

"More tea?" asked Mitsuru pouring one of his customer's a cup.

"Aren't the cherry blossoms lovely this time of year?" asked Minoru, the other twin, at his own station.

"Have some cookies, they're delicious!" cheered Moru.

Usagi agreed with a nod, as he was on his fourth one by then.

"Oh Tamotsu, aren't these cherry blossoms gorgeous?" asked one of his customers.

"They are, but only because of your radiance are they able to bloom." he complimented with dreamy eyes. The girl giggled in response.

Despite Kichiro's better judgment he was also placed in one of the waiter's uniforms. Some of the nearby girls were blown away by how adorable he looked. Even with the saddened expression on his face. When the wind picked up and some petals were carried by the wind, it was as though he was just made for that outfit.

"Kichiro is so stunning." commented one of the customers.

"Wouldn't you like to capture this moment, and hold it forever?" Emiko asked, holding her notebook in her left hand, and a pen in the other, "You're in luck, because now our photo books are on sale." as always she was selling swag for club profit, "We're having a special, if you buy all 6 books, you can have 20% off your entire purchase."

"I want one!" squeaked one girl.

"I'll take them all!" shouted another.

"There she goes again," Haruki murmured watching the girls fuss and make a line to order.

"Yeah… don't you expect that out of her by now?" answered Kichiro.

She looked back at him, also subconsciously amazed by how fitting the attire was on him. He was also wearing his glasses for some reason, "why the glasses?" she wondered.

"Mitsuru and Minoru said it made me look more classy or something." he huffed.

"Well, I have to say I agree with them." she complimented.

He looked at her, but instead of snapping, he let a gentle smile appear on his face as he ruffled up the hair on her head. It wasn't the response she was expecting, but Haruki returned the smile. Happy that Kichiro was loosing up, even just a little bit.

From a distance Mitsuru watched them both curiously, "I wish someone would tell her that she's wasting her time." he murmured.

"What was that Mitsuru?" asked one of his customers.

"Nothing," he smiled, pouring himself another cup of tea.

Minoru was on the other side of the courtyard, watching them interact as well, "Wonder what'll happen next." he whispered to himself, leaning against a tree.

"You look cheerful, Mommy." said Tamotsu to Emiko who was pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Of course, I made up the money the club lost over the weekend." actually Kichiro lost it, still without realizing yet, "with interest." she smiled.

"Like father like daughter." he commented with a grin, before taking a sip of tea.

She smirked like her father always used to, "like father like son." she nodded, as they tapped their glasses together and each took a drink.

Author's notes: Woo! Chapter 6 completed! I really liked this chapter. Wonder what Mitsuru and Minoru meant. I like how Emiko and Tamotsu just seem to fit together like their father's used to way back when. The way they interact is quite cute. We also got to see a gentler side of Kichiro, but will it last? Guess we'll have to wait and see. This chapter is called Simon because it reminds me of the song from Lifehouse. It really relates well to Kichiro. See ya next chapter =D


	7. Chapter 7: That's How We Met

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 7: That's How We Met  
_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

_Through a dull haze, I straightened out my crooked glasses, allowing my eyes to adjust to the atmosphere around me. I heard many voices; cries of children, bickering couples and so on. When I was finally able to make sense of it… I was stuck at a commoner's expo._

_**One hour ago…**_

"_Emiko! Get up Sleepy Head!" exclaimed Tamotsu at the foot of Emiko's bed, "we're all going to a commoner's expo today! Doesn't that sound like fun!? Dad told me they're amazing and to get the full experience with my friends!" _

"_Come on Mom it'll be fun!" cheered Moru, standing beside Usagi and Minoru on the left side of Emiko's bed._

"_Don't make us force you to get up." teased Mitsuru with a grin, standing on the right side of the bed, with Kichiro and Haruki silent._

_Slowly Emiko rose from her blankets, eyes glowing a radiant purple, "Go to hell." she growled, and they all jumped back in surprise. They had awakened the Shadow Queen, something that should be illegal, "I will not participate in your foolish antics on my day off. I could careless about some dumb expo Suou. Leave, now!" after a short pause, with them all afraid to even breathe, Emiko slumped back into the blankets and fell asleep once more._

_The group looked to one another and Tamotsu snapped his fingers, "Haruki, get her dressed, we'll all be waiting outside!" without a second to lose the boys escaped, leaving poor Haruki alone with the demon that was slumbering only a few feet away from her._

"So that's what happened," pondered Emiko, glancing around, "I'll just call my limo driver," she thought, feeling around in her pocket for her phone which was absent, "alright that's fine, I'll take a cab." she reached in her other pocket to grab her wallet, but it also decided to skip out on the trip, "…I'LL KILL HIM!" she thought, her eyes shifting back and forth encase Tamotsu was nearby. After her blood pressure went down a little, she sat back down on the bench she was previously left sleeping on to evaluate the situation.

"I should have known he'd pull a stunt like this. That idiot," she thought to herself, still churning with irritation. He was always this way, stupid goofy smile on his face, those big brown eyes always so full of happiness. He never had to work hard a day of his life!

_**Several years ago… winter.**_

_I always wondered why every year father took the first weekend off of every winter. It was like a tradition for him, but I was too young to understand until one year it all made sense. I saw a very human side of him that day…_

The doorbell rang and a man answered the door. He was older now, but still wore the same glasses, his hair still jet black and smooth like satin. His signature smirk appeared on his face when his eyes met his only real best friend he had ever made, "Hello Suou." greeted Kyouya Ootori, Emiko's father.

"Nice to see you as always Kyouya," beamed the informal blond man who even with age hadn't changed a bit. He was still always smiling and making sure everyone was involved and had a great time. Beside him was a miniature of himself, a boy with matching blond hair, that had insignificant highlights of brown, and radiant brown eyes, "This is my son, Tamotsu. I told him about you and he seemed really eager to get acquainted."

Kyouya wasn't sure whether to be grateful for the compliment or sickened that there was now another Tamaki running around. It was a miracle the world could handle one, "He looks just like you." commented Kyouya, "I have a few running around here as well. The wife is out with my boy, but my daughter's around here somewhere. She usually keeps to herself."

"Like father like daughter," joked Tamaki, entering the house, holding his son's hand gently, leading the shy boy inside.

"Like father like son," Kyouya shot back, and they exchanged a glance that they both had become accustomed to.

"I'd love to meet your daughter," said Tamaki, entering the family room, and taking off his son's heavy coat, "mine's back home, she looks just like her mother, but she's younger than Tamotsu." he was obviously really proud of his children, by the tone he used.

"Emiko's the older of my two." explained Kyouya, "Emiko," he called, trying to get his daughter to come downstairs.

"Yes father?" asked the young, long black haired girl, with big purple eyes as she entered the family room. She pressed her glasses up, holding a notebook in her hand.

"I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, this is Tamaki Suou, and his son Tamotsu." introduced Kyouya.

"It's nice to meet you both." bowed Emiko.

Tamotsu's face lit up when he saw her. He judged her to be about his age, and like his father he always had a soft spot for girls, "It's nice to meet you too Emiko." Tamotsu finally spoke, his eyes scanned the room, and when they saw the kotatsu he was suddenly bubbling with enthusiasm, "A kotatsu! I've never seen one up close before!"

"Every year Kyouya and I get together around this time. It's our own little tradition." explained Tamaki to his son.

"Can I join?" asked the eager little blond boy.

"Of course," Kyouya answered.

"Emiko, you should join us too okay?" asked Tamotsu with his big welcoming smile.

Emiko stayed silent, afraid to ask for her father's permission.

"It's alright Emiko, you may stay if you like." said Kyouya, placing his hand on her head.

She flinched, but smiled appreciatively, "thank you father."

_Father was never abusive toward me, so don't get the wrong idea. I just always… lived in the shadow of my little brother when it came down to it. I'm sure he loves me because I'm his child, but what he really wanted was a son; so because of that, I was unwanted. Loved… but unwanted, by someone who I really looked up to, and wanted nothing more but to shine brightly in his eyes. It meant that whatever I did I had to work a million times harder at. One would think it'd be easy to surpass a younger sibling, but not when it's your brother. Only because I'm a girl, do I have no chance at ever becoming the family heir. I've known it for such a long time… but for some reason I keep trying…_

When the night had come to an end, and the Suou's were about to go home, Tamotsu pulled Emiko to the side and told her he'd like to see her true smile one day. It was such a peculiar way to say goodbye to someone he had just met, but he knew it before she did when he figured they'd see each other again.

Emiko stayed seated on the bench, remembering the memory and letting it play back over and over again. From the start Tamotsu was looking out for her, even if his approach was far from desirable. Every year after that Tamotsu came with his father to that little get together, and every year Emiko would also appear. She'd never admit it openly, but that was the first true friend she had ever made. Tamotsu could find light in any darkness. Find hope in any despair. Smile in the pouring rain, awaiting a rainbow to appear. That's just who he was, who he always would be.

_**Two years ago… winter.**_

Emiko had been going through a rough semester. Her exams were difficult and she scored below her normal level. Everyone was talking about it at school, and her father seemed to show a bit of resentment toward her the day he found out. The very day the Suou's were visiting. She wasn't allowed to share the kotatsu's warmth with them that year. That was her punishment. Instead she sat on the stairway listening to the idle conversation that took place in the next room between the fathers, but Tamotsu was silent. That's when she heard it, the sound of the grand piano being played. She hadn't heard this sound in quite some time… if ever. She snuck to the entertainment room, and peaked her head inside to see that the player was none other than Tamotsu. Her heart ached, and she was moved to tears.

"Emiko," Tamotsu said, knowing she was there, "I wanted to ask you something. I think we should do what our father's did, and make a club together. A host club."

_The more he spoke of it, the crazier I thought he was, but I finally brought up the small problem, "Tamotsu, I'm a girl."_

His goofy smile appeared once more in that instant, _"So?" _he said. Emiko couldn't believe it, "You can be my manager. You're always carrying that notebook around. Calculating figures and whatever else you do. You'd be perfect for the job. You don't need to be a man to do that now do you?"

_Tamotsu saw me for me. Nothing more and nothing less. For once I was genuinely excepted as a girl. As someone who really could make a difference and do something. He knew there was no one better for the job, and from that point on I took the role as host club manager very seriously. Tamotsu showed me a tinge of happiness, and I wanted to repay him for that._

Remembering the experience now weakened Emiko's anger as she sat quietly on the bench while everyone passed by her.

"Emiko," she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Tamotsu's voice. He stood in front of her, a bit red with embarrassment, "I'm sorry we ran off without you." he offered his hand out to her, "what do you say I treat you to lunch to make up for it. They have some amazing commoner's fast food here."

She stared at him blankly for a moment, and took his hand. Bonking him on the head with her first she turned away from him sharply, "Idiot, leaving me alone like this. You better treat me if you know what's good for you!"

Tears came to his eyes but the smile never left his face, "Alright," he laughed.

_Even as everyone seemed to pass by me, Tamotsu always knew where to find me. I guess in the back of my mind I knew I didn't need to worry, because he always found a way to prove me wrong, and make me feel like I meant something, that I had a purpose. Even if it was only a temporary escape from reality, I envied the fact that he lived in a dream world where somehow everything always turned out okay. Nothing ever worked for me that way._

Author's notes: A nice little chapter about Emiko. I figured it was time to give a little back story on her, because she wasn't too terribly significant in the previous chapters. Was nice to see the human side of her, and realize she really looks up to Tamotsu. Look back for more updates soon. =D


	8. Chapter 8: An Unexpected Visitor

Fall in Love All Over Again

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**

**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **

_It's so boring here, for a place that's known for romance and love, I have not yet experienced it. The flowers have no fragrance, the sun no light. No song found in my heart. I need inspiration…_

"Mother," addressed Akihiko, "tell me again about your times in Japan."

His mother smiled and looked out the nearby window. Standing up from her chair she walked over to the bookshelf and retrieved a old photo album she had kept for so many years. It was obviously looked at often, for it had not one trace of dust. Showing her son the pictures she started to explain, "These were the best years of my life. I had so much fun at Ouran High. The host club was like magic. Every once and a while I chat with one of them, in fact just recently Ootori sent me some recent pictures of the new gang his daughter had helped Suou's son produce." pulling out the picture that had been tucked away in a pocket of the photo album, she revealed the new generation of the host club.

Akihiko's eyes sparkled with delight as he ran his fingertips across the picture, "…she's beautiful…" he breathed, tracing the outline of the girl with the curly brunette hair.

"Welcome!" the host club greeted when the doors swung open to the third music room. All the boys were dressed like members from the mafia. Clothed in black pinstripe attire with fedoras placed on their heads, Tamotsu had a candy cigarette in his mouth and a smirk upon his face. The twins were on either side of him, holding up their hands like guns, while Moru stood with Usagi on his shoulders, both trying to look intimidating but failing each in their own way.

When they were all dismissed to their stations, and Haruki arrived she suddenly had a very sinking feeling in her stomach. What she laid eyes on was Mitsuru and Minoru bounding and pretend gagging poor Kichiro to a chair, "You don't work with us, you work against us." Mitsuru grinned mocking a mobster. He was angry that Kichiro wouldn't play along and dress like the rest. By refusing he fell into this trap of entanglement.

"I'll have to play a punishment game with you later," smirked Minoru, resting his head against Kichiro's temple, "and I won't be gentle." the fan girls that surrounded them were squealing with excitement, letting their minds run wild with imagination of what Minoru and Mitsuru might be doing to Kichiro later.

"Hey guys let him go," demanded Haruki, "can't you ever give it a rest?"

"Ah, Haruki," Mitsuru moved toward her and placed his hand under her chin, "decided to come play with the big boys today?" he asked. Some of Mitsuru's girls were fumed that they weren't getting that sort of attention.

Kichiro forced the gag away from his mouth with his tongue and breathed before saying, "don't touch her Mitsuru."

Mitsuru liked the reaction and twisted Haruki up in an embrace, "Aww, you can't always have this toy to yourself Kichiro, besides…" he placed his head on her shoulder, "I'm envious she has so much of your attention. Perhaps I should do her in."

"Enough of this mafia crap! Let go of me!" commanded Haruki.

"Don't worry princess!" exclaimed a voice, as suddenly a boy with butterscotch hair and golden eyes came barreling in to rescue her from the evil clutches of Mitsuru. He had his arms around her like a prince would when dancing with a princess, "you're even lovelier in person." he cooed.

"Eh… do I know you?" Haruki asked.

Together all three Hitachiin's eyebrows pulled together with a disgusting taste in their mouths, "Whose this guy?" asked Kichiro, working the knot out of the rope that had him constricted.

"His name is Akihiko," informed Emiko who was also watching now, "Akihiko Houshakuji, my father said his deranged mother used to force her way into the host club long ago."

"Are you talking about Renge?" asked Tamotsu.

"Yes." answered Emiko.

"Allow me to introduce myself," said Akihiko getting down on one knee and kissing Haruki's hand, "my name is Akihiko Houshakuji. I come from France. My mother knew your parents."

"Oh," replied Haruki, remembering all the things her parents had said about their experiences. She tried to be as polite as possible, "may I ask what it is you're doing here?"

"Oh isn't that obvious?" of course it wasn't, "I've come to make you fall in love with me." he stated.

Suddenly it sounded like a twenty car pile up exploded inside Tamotsu and the Hitachiin boys' heads, "Hold on a second there!" exclaimed Tamotsu, "Haruki is my little sister, and no man will ever be able to get that close to her!"

Haruki was dumbfounded by the whole thing, rubbing the hand that the boy had previously kissed, she still wasn't quite clear on the boy's reasoning for being here.

"No, there's no doubt about it." claimed Akihiko, "love has bloomed like a fresh spring cherry blossom in my heart. My Haruki, my princess."

By now Kichiro had freed himself from the previous torture and was straightening out his tie, "That's about the dumbest thing I've ever heard." he spoke loud enough for Akihiko and the others to hear it, "you can't make someone love you. It's impossible."

"People do it all the time." argued Akihiko, "maybe you don't know because no one's ever loved you."

Kichiro was gathering his belongings which had been scattered when his cousins attacked him before, and paused putting a text book in his school bag. Everyone grew silent, and slowly Kichiro stood to his feet.

"Kichiro," murmured Haruki.

Kichiro left without a word and Akihiko embraced Haruki from behind, "I promise you, I will find a way to make you love me." She didn't even hear his words, she was too focused on the memory of the doors closing behind Kichiro.

The next day when Haruki arrived at her first class which she shared with the Hitachiin twins and normally Kichiro as well she immediately noticed he was absent. When she got to her seat, a bouquet of roses were placed on her desk with a card signed _"Love, Akihiko." _The same process repeated every class each with a new present. Chocolates, a teddy bear, and finally a very expensive necklace. By lunch time Haruki sat down at her regular table which she normally ate with the Hitachiins. Mitsuru and Minoru were usually fighting about some subject they were discussing in debate class or prodding Kichiro while he tried to eat. Today though, because Kichiro wasn't there, all three of them were silent. That's when Akihiko appeared with a gourmet meal especially prepared for Haruki. Around it were candles and rose petals. Instead of eating it, Haruki excused herself from the table and went outside to eat.

"Haruki," she wished it had been Kichiro, but it was Akihiko, "what are you doing out here all by yourself? I had that meal especially prepared for you."

"I'm fine with my lunch thanks," murmured Haruki.

"What's the matter my sweet?" he asked tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I just-" she started to explain, but the sound of violins cut her off. She looked over and three violinists sat in a line playing for them, "why are they here?"

"Aren't they wonderful?" Akihiko asked, "I hired them to play beautiful music for you."

"That's very nice Akihiko, but I-" she started to change the subject.

"Isn't it a lovely day out?" he asked, as cherry blossom petals fluttered in the breeze, "Haruki it's because of you my life has color. I can smile and breathe in the fresh air. I've been waiting so long for you to come into my life, and now that you have I'm so happy." even though his actions were far more trouble than they were worth, he spoke so genuinely, that Haruki just couldn't say anything. That's when the bell rang for her to get back to class.

"I have to go," whispered Haruki.

"I'll walk you to class." smiled the princely Akihiko. When they walked side by side, Haruki felt alone. There was a missing piece in this day, and she couldn't get her mind off of it, "I'll be waiting for you in third music room after school." informed Akihiko, as he brushed back some of her hair and kissed her on the forehead, "I'll miss you." seeing the farewell Mitsuru and Minoru exchanged a glance. Resentment filled their eyes as they sat down for the final class of the day, on either side of Haruki, who looked miserable.

She arrived at the third music room a few moments late, not really in any hurry to get there. Normally she could look forward to this time to study with Kichiro or talk to him about whatever they wanted, but not today. When she entered the music room most of the focus was on her brother, who was playing a lovely serenade on the piano. She watched him for a while, no matter how many times she saw him play, it was always so moving. It made her sadness temporarily go away.

"He's really good," complimented Akihiko.

Haruki turned to him and noticed he was sitting in Kichiro's chair. This finally snapped something in her, "Akihiko," she was speaking with a firm tone, "we need to talk."

"What is it darling?" Akihiko started to sweat. He couldn't stand the sight of seeing his princess angered.

"What you said yesterday was wrong. Kichiro was right, you cannot make someone love you it has to be a process. A long process, not something that happens over night. You gave me roses, candies, and pretty things to distract me, and maybe that works for some girls, and I sincerely hope you find her… but that's not me. It never will be me. I don't know what it's like to be in love, but I know it's not this. I'm sorry… but I don't love you." that was all Haruki needed to say, without any desire to stay she headed for the door.

"Wait Haruki," called Akihiko, but she was already gone.

Walking down the street, Haruki kept her head down, and her heart shut. She couldn't believe how bad the day had become. On her way home she passed by Kichiro's manson. Pausing to gaze at his window, she watched him sit down on the window sill, with his headphones on, trying to shut out the world. His eyes wandered down to her, and they stared for a long while before she finally lifted her hand to wave to him and smile. He tilted his head and slowly waved back, before retreating back to his room.

As she continued on, she finally made it home. They had a house, not a mansion. Her mother didn't want the luxurious life, and her father had no disagreements with getting something more family oriented. So they had a two story home, perfect for their family. She walked inside and when she closed the door behind her she heard something cooking, "Haruhi were do you keep the-" her father walked in figured it was his wife, when he in fact had made an error, "Oh, Haruki it's you. You're home early. Did the host club close early today?"

"No dad, I just wanted to come home." she smiled at him, "what're you up to?"

"Oh, well…" Tamaki blushed, "just making dinner. I've never made this dish before so I'm figuring it out as I go." Haruki sat her bag down on the couch and hugged her dad unexpectedly. He gently rubbed her back, "What's wrong?" he wondered.

"Can I help? Make dinner I mean?" she asked.

He smiled warmly, "Of course."

Haruki was actually a bit relieved to spend time with her father. He was the one boy she didn't need to try to make sense of because no matter what he'd always love her. And looking at it that way she learned to appreciate him a little bit more.

"Hey Haruki," said Tamotsu later that night before bed, "Akihiko left a letter for you. I thought it'd be rude not to take it, but you can choose whether to read it or not."

Haruki went to her room and sat down on her bed. Opening the envelope she started to read the fancy handwriting etched out on the page,

"_Dear Haruki,_

_I'm sorry I upset you for whatever reason. Now that I really got a chance to think about it, you're right there is no way to make someone love you. You shouldn't have to. I realize now that I was out of line, and I apologize. I've decided to go back home and find what makes my heart sing. I was so desperate to find love that I clung to the first thing I saw. Now I will go back, retrace my steps and see all there is to see in France. You should come see it some day, I know you'd love it. Thank you Haruki, for showing me all the beauty there is to truly be found. Sometimes it's not the easiest to spot, but you're certainly one of the beauties that stick out. Maybe I'll start my own host club here._

_Love always and inspired,_

_Akihiko Houshakuji_

_P.S. I hope you find what gives the flowers fragrance, the sun light, and your heart a song. Look for it, it's out there."_

A smile came to Haruki's face, as a stray tear slid down her cheek. That was one thing she obtained from her father, blue eyes that often times her emotions were so strong moved her to tears.

Author's notes: I like the end of this, very touching. Although it was only a short appearance I think that's all I could handle with Renge and her offspring. Stay tuned for new chapters coming soon! Happy Saturday =D


	9. Chapter 9: Sharing the Same Stem

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 9: Sharing The Same Stem_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

When that Friday came, and hosting hours had come to an end, Tamotsu had a proposition for the Hitachiin twins, "Mitsuru, Minoru!" he summoned.

The twins reluctantly dragged themselves over to their boss, and awaited instruction.

"Your father owns a lake house outside of town correct?" pondered Tamotsu.

"Yes," answered Mitsuru.

"However we've only been there once or twice and that was when we were really young," continued Minoru.

"Dad uses it as a get away from work now and again, but he usually goes alone." finished Mitsuru, both twins shrugging in exact unison then glaring over at each other.

"Then it's settled!" replied Tamotsu, "we can use the Hitachiin lake house for our host club family trip!"

"Uh… I'm not so sure our father would like that…" Minoru murmured.

"Who cares? Dad's usually too busy working anyway, he won't notice if it's for a weekend. Besides, he has some show for work he's doing in Paris this weekend so he won't even be here." grumbled Mitsuru.

The twin's eyes locked onto each others, and for a moment, they seemed to be speaking only through thought, and the thoughts weren't threatening, but something much deeper. Once they realized it though, the usual glares they exchanged returned and they looked away from each other, focusing on something else.

"Why are we going to a lake house anyway?" Haruki asked Tamotsu.

"To go commoner's camping! It'll bring us all closer together!" answered Tamotsu.

"Doesn't staying in a lake house sort of defeat the purpose of the word 'camping'?" muttered Haruki flatly.

"We don't really have any other choice in the matter though do we?" stated Emiko, pushing up her glasses, "meet up to follow the Hitachiins to the lake house around noon?"

"Sounds good." answered Tamotsu, knowing that giving Emiko the opportunity to sleep in would be best for the rest of them.

Kichiro had gathered up his things, "I'll see you Monday Haruki." he said.

"You're not going?" she asked.

"Of course he's going!" answered Mitsuru, pulling his cousin into him, holding his face in his hands, "if I'm being forced to go to some lake house with Minoru all weekend I must have something to play with."

Minoru walked up behind his cousin, linking his arms around his waist and pulling his back against him, "He'll be rooming with me Mitsuru." he cooed.

Kichiro's teeth grinded together trying to hold back his irritation, "Why would I come if you two are going to be there?" he growled, "you irritate me enough during the week. I have to carry a bottle of aspirin because of the both of you!"

"I'd really like it if you came along Kichiro." said Haruki.

Kichiro looked at her and let the idea filter into his mind, "..I'll go."

"Usagi and I are coming too!" exclaimed Moru with a smile.

"It might be worth it." shrugged the timid Usagi.

"Alright, as Emiko said, be at Mitsuru's and Minoru's around noon!" announced Tamotsu.

_The next day…_

Once everyone was accounted for at the Hitachiin mansion, Mitsuru and Minoru lead the way each in their own limos, followed by the Suou's and Kichiro riding along with them, next was Emiko, and behind her was Usagi and Moru sharing a ride. After about a twenty minute drive the group had reached their destination.

The first thought on everyone's mind was _"Wow, impressive." _The lake that adorned the lake house stretched far and wide, its waters crystal and serene. A forest of trees surrounded this private getaway. The lake house, built two story in a log cabin fashion, seemed like the picture perfect cozy abode for the rich environment around it. The scene placed in front of them left them all speechless.

"Well, let's get settled in." said Mitsuru, swirling the lake house key on his index finger. After everything was brought inside they agreed that Emiko and Haruki could stay the night in the twin's old room, while all the boys slept downstairs.

It seemed everyone started to partner up and go elsewhere, leaving Haruki with all three Hitachiins. When she turned to them, Mitsuru and Minoru were poking fun at Kichiro, this much was to be expected by now. "Want to go for a walk?" she asked them. So before she knew it, she was out hiking the land with them. Kichiro seeming to unconsciously cling close beside her to use as a barrier between him and his cousins. On the other side of him was Minoru, and on Haruki's other side, Mitsuru.

"Tell me again why we're out walking?" asked Mitsuru flatly.

"We have to do something. If we stay in the lake house all day that's not camping." answered Haruki.

"It's camping to us," Minoru argued.

"We didn't even bring our cell phones or game consoles." Mitsuru groaned.

"There's TV and a phone back at the cabin, you two are just whining to hear yourselves talk. Why not try to enjoy the experience?" Kichiro snapped.

"You two didn't have to come with us." murmured Haruki.

"Aww, did Haruki want to be alone with Chiro-kun?" teased Minoru.

"That's not what I said." stated Haruki flatly.

"Woah, look." gasped Mitsuru, pointing toward the cave that was ahead.

"We should check it out." grinned Minoru.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea. We don't have flashlights or anything…" said Haruki uneasy.

"We're all together anyway, nothing will happen." argued Minoru.

After a few steps into the cave, it got incredibly dark. So much that one couldn't see their hand in front of their face, which Haruki had figured out. They kept walking until Haruki felt the ground beneath her start to cave in and before she could react she grabbed onto the first person she felt, falling for what felt like forever. When they hit the soft ground below, they were elsewhere; a dimly lit tunnel. She was alone with Mitsuru Hitachiin. Not only that, but she fell on top of him. Slowly sitting up, their eyes met one another and she immediately fell off of him, tumbling to the ground once again.

"Wh-where are we?" she whispered quietly.

"I'm not sure… guess we got separated from Kichiro and Minoru while walking, or else they would have fallen too." said Mitsuru with rouge cheeks as he stared up at the opening.

"So much for being all together." muttered Haruki, not sure whether she should be happy that she was right or not.

"So, you okay?" asked Mitsuru, already on his feet, offering his hand out to her while his other was tucked away in the pocket of his pants.

Haruki stared up at him slightly amazed, before taking his hand and trying to pull herself up. She stopped and held her leg, "It's a no go. I think that last tumble twisted something." she informed.

Mitsuru seemed slightly irritated at this, as he let a sigh escape his lips, "Well we can't just sit here, we have to follow the light out of here." he said pointing in the direction where the light was brightest. Thinking it over he knelt down in front of her, his back facing her, "come on, I'll carry you."

Why was he acting so different? Normally he was so hostile, but suddenly it was different now. He was still rude but a bit more gentle in his approach. She took him up on his offer, and slung her arms loosely around his neck, him carrying her in a piggy back fashion. They were both very quiet for a time as he walked, before she finally wondered aloud, "So why do you and Minoru dislike each other so much?"

He seemed to slow a bit in his stride and thought about it, "It's hard to explain." he murmured.

"It must be something big for you to hate each other so strongly." she said, resting her head on his shoulder, not realizing she was breathing on his neck.

His cheeks turned red once more, "It's a psychological thing really. I just…. I can't stand to look in the mirror!" he growled, "because all I see is him! His damn face staring back at me!" he breathed and quieted himself, "if you looked in the mirror your whole life and didn't see yourself, you'd start to resent that person in the mirror too."

"But shouldn't you embrace it?" she thought, and he was silent once more, "You're twins. A bond that can't be understood by anyone else except other twins. What you have is special. Shouldn't you learn to love that? Maybe you don't like looking in the mirror, but… perhaps it's just because you don't like who _you_ are. Maybe the person you're really fighting is yourself."

Mitsuru stopped walking, his head down, "it's… not that simple." his voice was hoarse he was losing it.

"I think," Haruki said with a small smile, "it's sort of like a playground preschool crush."

"…what?" asked Mitsuru, completely dumbfounded by the statement.

"You guys fight to show you love one another right?" she asked, "It's starting to make sense to me. You're showing affection the only way you know how, like a boy would to a girl when they're young. Picking on her, fussing and fighting with her, but deep down… you really care for each other, don't you?"

Mitsuru looked away from her, hiding his face. How did she do that? How did she see right through him in such a short time? A stray tear slid down his face and he continued walking, "You're so weird." he muttered, "Minoru and I just hate each other. There's no underlying reason behind it. It's how it is… how it's always been."

"Well," whispered Haruki, "I hope you both find a way to settle whatever vendetta you have. Brother's shouldn't fight as severely as you do."

Mitsuru kept his eyes on his feet as he walked, thinking very deeply about the conversation he had just had with this girl. She was very good at spotting what wars were being waged inside others, but seemed to be quite oblivious to the ones inside herself.

"Wow, look at that." breathed Haruki, once they reached the mouth of another cave and were now free from the damp and dim darkness.

Mitsuru lifted his head and was speechless. The two had found something beautiful, a meadow filled with wildflowers that seemed to dance all together in unison with the gentle spring breeze. Setting Haruki down in the grass on the hill he decided to take a quick look around to try to figure out exactly how far they had strolled away from camp. He had no clue. Walking back over to her he sat down beside her, hugging his knees and staring out at the beautiful rainbow of colored flowers.

"Look at this one." Haruki said, gesturing toward a plant with thorns, that had two flowers sharing one stem. The colors of the flowers were very exotic, orange on the left, baby blue on the right. Mitsuru seemed fascinated by it, but really it just made him assess the previous situation more deeply. His eyes finally went back up to Haruki, who was staring back at him thoughtfully.

"You seem to fit in here perfectly," he muttered, "a one of a kind flower in the middle of a bunch of blooming wildflowers that hold no significance in particular."

"They're all significant." said Haruki, not even noticing the compliment he had just given her, "each in their own way, like these two." she stated looking back down at the one stemmed twosome.

"Haruki, Mitsuru!" they both heard a voice call. Turning to look back, Kichiro stood beside Minoru, waving toward them. It seemed like their path had lead them to the same place of virtue. The two boys ran up to them, and Haruki started to explain how she had gotten hurt. Kichiro offered to carry her back to camp. Mitsuru's eyes were locked on to Minoru, he just couldn't look away after everything Haruki had said, though Minoru didn't notice his brother's stare, he was too busy harassing Kichiro.

_Two flowers sharing the same stem…_

"Haruki!" exclaimed Tamotsu at the sight of his sister arriving on Kichiro's back.

"I'm fine Tamotsu, I just twisted my ankle." she sighed.

"Kichiro, thank you for carrying her." said Tamotsu appreciatively.

"Mitsuru carried me some of the way too." said Haruki, giving credit where credit was due.

"Thank you as well Mitsuru." nodded Tamotsu.

"No problem Boss." murmured Mitsuru quietly.

"Mommy and I made dinner for everyone! Moru and Usagi helped set the table once they got back from biking." beamed Tamotsu obviously very proud of everyone's efforts, "however since you all weren't around to help, you have clean up duty! Aside from Haruki of course who is too hurt to work." In other words, he just wanted to put the Hitachiins to work.

"What?" all three Hitachiins barked in unison.

"I can dry dishes if you guys wash." Haruki offered.

"Haruki, you're so considerate." Tamotsu blushed, and hugged her tight, "so cute!!!"

"Tamotsu, you're crushing me." she choked.

That night when all the boys had chosen their places to sleep in the big family room the cabin provided, Mitsuru stared up at the ceiling, unable to let himself fall asleep. Eventually his eyes drifted over to his twin brother, who was shivering. It seemed his blanket had been kicked off him in his sleep. Without a sound, Mitsuru crept over to his brother and put the blanket back on top of him, feeling the sensation of tears forming back in his eyes.

_All it took was one statement from some girl… now… I'm a mess around him. "…perhaps it's just because you don't like who you are. Maybe the person you're really fighting is yourself."_

Author's notes: I wanted to do something big with Mitsuru and Minoru. I think it's made them more relatable, or at least Mitsuru anyway. Keep checking back for updates =D please review should you feel inclined. =3


	10. Chapter 10: A Hitachiin Battle

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 10: A Hitachiin Battle**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

The days passed, and days turned into weeks, which formed a month. With the last week before summer break came final exams, and with much preparation the host club passed their exams with flying colors. Now that all was well, they could finally have a break, sleep in, and enjoy the warmth of the summer sun on their silky perfect skin. That was the case, until Grandpa Ranka had the idea of promising his long time friend Misuzu that his grandchildren could work at his pension for the next couple of weeks. So despite the Suou siblings disapproval, Tamaki thought it'd be a great way for them to spend time together as brother and sister.

The agreement was this: The siblings could share a free room, and only make profit on any tips that were left for them. All in all this was to be a good _growing up_ experience for the both of them. Tamotsu was completely gung-ho about it, but Haruki wasn't quite sure.

"Have a nice day ladies," chimed the chipper blond Tamotsu who was blooming in more ways than one. He started to gather the dirty dishes that were left behind, and receive his small tip for a serving job well done. They had a system, Haruki would help clean the kitchen one day while Tamotsu served the guests, and then they'd switch the following day. With Tamotsu's radiance however, he attracted quite a few females to the pension.

While Haruki washed dishes she tried to look for the positives in this. At least it was quiet here. The last few weeks at the host club were chaotic with summer fever and everyone was ready to be on vacation, discussing their plans to go to Rome, France, Germany and other far away places. She did have to wonder though, what was Kichiro doing with himself right now. He seemed rather distant the last week of school, but he was really focused on exams so she assumed that was it. She had hoped that he would now give himself a break from studies and relax a little.

Haruki went out into the dining area to wipe off a few tables, when the bell above the door clanged, signaling someone had come in. Her eyes curiously turned to the door and she was a bit stunned.

"Hey Haruki," greeted the very person she was thinking about. Kichiro stood there with an off white tank top that had a hood connected to it, orange capris, and white tennis shoes; his glasses were absent, his hair shinier than usual in the elegant light, with his shoulders rolled back casually, and his hands in his pockets.

"Kichiro, how did you know I was here?" she asked, wondering if she was seeing things.

"Emiko told me. You know how connected she is with your brother." he said coming closer to her and watching her clean another table.

"Well, I can't exactly talk right now. I am on the job," she muttered.

"That's fine, I just came here to get away." he replied.

"Away? From home you mean?" she asked, ringing out the rag in her small bucket, and wiping another table.

"You could say that." he murmured.

That's when he heard it, "Chiro-kun!" called Minoru's voice as he came into the pension, Mitsuru following behind, "there you are. Should have known you'd be here."

Kichiro started to sweat, "how did you two find me here?"

"Emiko," they both replied at the same time.

Haruki smiled and started for the kitchen. Misuzu heard the commotion and went to see all three Hitachiins standing together. The twins harassing their apathetic cousin. His eyes immediately lit up with excitement, "You must be the Hitachiins!" he beamed.

"Uh, yeah." answered Mitsuru, "how did you know?"

"I knew Hikaru and Kaoru when they were teenagers, you hold a striking resemblance. Are you all Hikaru's sons or Kaoru's sons?" he wondered.

"Mitsuru and I are Hikaru's kids. Chiro-kun here is Kaoru's son." Minoru explained pinching Kichiro's cheek.

"Well, welcome to my pension. I'd say stay the night, but there's only one guest room open and it only has one twin sized bed in it." Misuzu explained.

A light bulb went off in Minoru's head, "That works just fine," he said pulling Kichiro into him, "Chiro-kun and I will take that room."

Mitsuru seemed distracted, which Minoru caught onto. He was busy watching Haruki come out and wash another table. When he looked back at Kichiro and Minoru he faked a smirk and said, "The only one's that will be preoccupying that room will be Kichiro and me Minoru, sorry."

Both Kichiro and Minoru stared at him for a time before Misuzu cut in, "This is exciting! How about you have a refreshing battle like your father's did so long ago? It was somewhat different, but if you show how refreshing you can be, and bring in customers for the pension, I'll give you points. Whoever reaches 100 points can have the free room for three nights with all accommodations included."

"It's a deal." the twins said in unison and started right away.

Kichiro stood there, watching the two of them go to work by greeting customers and what not. It was sort of disturbing, "Are you going to participate?" asked Misuzu.

Kichiro looked to him and smiled, "Yes, but what they don't know won't hurt them now will it?" he winked. That said he headed outside to think over what work could be done to earn some points.

"Ah, he's quite the cutie." murmured Misuzu, "5 refresher points."

"What did you start?" Haruki asked Misuzu.

"Just something a little interesting. The Hitachiin boys will be helping out around here for a while, so just let them be. They're competing for a room here." Misuzu answered.

"Sounds kind of silly to me." said Haruki.

"Just let the boys have their fun," he said putting his hand on her shoulder and leading her back to the kitchen, "come on, you can help me prepare the evening meal."

The next morning when the customers woke to receive breakfast, Haruki and the twins were surving while Tamotsu and Misuzu were making the meals. The whole day before hand the twins had each racked up quite a few points. Kichiro on the other hand, wasn't seen much the rest of the day. He seemed to be off doing his own thing. Misuzu figured maybe he had given up, when in fact, he was doing quite the opposite.

"Good morning," announced Kichiro on the small performance stage of the pension. All the girls in the audience seemed immediately locked onto him. Even Haruki had to stop and see what he was up to, that's when she noticed he had a guitar with him, "I thought that maybe to start all of your days off right I would play for you this morning. So… here it goes," he started to strum a small acoustic tune that was gentle and quite captivating. As if it wasn't predictable enough, while he sat on that stool and played so well and naturally, he also started to sing, "See the pyramids around the Nile, watch the sunrise from the tropic isle, just remember darling all the while, you belong to me…"

Haruki's eyes shimmered, she was so surprised she almost dropped the notepad she was taking orders on. Mitsuru's eyes immediately darted to hers, and Minoru's to Mitsuru's. This was definitely something they had not predicted. They never knew that their cousin had picked up the guitar about six years ago, and had been playing frequently ever since.

"And I'll be so alone without you," continued Kichiro, "maybe you'll be lonesome too. Fly the ocean in a silver plane. See the jungle when it's wet with rain. Just remember 'til you're home again, you belong to me." he hit the last note on his guitar and smiled, "thank you." when he got off the stage he went over to a table he had occupied before to put his guitar back in its case.

_The song is You Belong To Me by: Jason Wade, just giving credit to the actual artist. =D_

"100 refresher points!" screamed Misuzu, bursting out of the kitchen, "that was fantastic Kichiro."

"Looks like he pulled a fast one on us." Minoru murmured, turning to look at Mitsuru who was staring thoughtfully at Kichiro. Something had been different about his brother for weeks now, and he couldn't figure out what it was. When Minoru challenged Mitsuru, he'd either just wave it off or refuse to argue about it. Something had changed with him since the time they went to the lake house, but he couldn't fit together what it was.

"Yeah," Mitsuru finally agreed with a warm smile, "yeah he did." he nodded and walked out the door to be alone for a while.

Minoru watched his brother disappear out the door and frowned, he seemed to be taking Kichiro's win a bit harder than he expected. Looking back to his cousin, he watched as both him and Haruki interacted with one another. Another piece of the puzzle was starting to fit into the equation Minoru was mentally putting together, and slowly another idea came to his head.

As the day drew on Minoru caught Haruki alone in the kitchen washing some of the dishes. Tamotsu had complained to her that his skin was getting dry from all the soap and water, so instead of telling him to just wear rubber gloves and suck it up, she took over kitchen duty.

"Hey Haruki," Minoru said, walking into the kitchen and leaning his back against the counter.

"Oh hey Minoru, what's up?" she asked.

"There's a message I was supposed to pass onto you… from Chiro-kun." he smiled at her, and she paused to look back at him.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyebrow raised.

"He's a little too shy to ask you Haruki, but he was curious if you'd go out on a date with him tomorrow." Minoru stated tilting his head.

Haruki thought it over, "I'll ask Misuzu for the day off." she nodded.

Minoru's face brightened, "I'll let him know." casually Minoru walked out of the kitchen and headed up stairs to the room Kichiro had rightfully won with his own efforts. Knocking twice, he swung open the door and closed it behind him, "Chiro-kun!" he smirked.

Kichiro lifted his eyes from his book he had brought along with him while laying down on the bed, "For the last time Minoru, you are not staying the night with me."

"No, no, it's not that." Minoru shook his head and sat down on the bed, "Haruki wanted me to ask you something, she's too shy to ask you herself."

Kichiro flipped a page in his book and continued reading, only half listening to the yammering of his cousin, "what's that?"

"She wanted to know if you'd go on a date with her tomorrow to tour some of the little shops in Karuizawa." said Minoru.

Kichiro's eyes slowly pulled themselves way from the page as he tried to put together what his cousin just said, "A date?" he muttered.

"Yes, she really wants to go with you. She's willing to take the day off and everything. All you have to do is show up around 1 o'clock." Minoru informed.

Kichiro looked back down at the page he was on and stared at it for a time, "tell her I'll be there." he mumbled, flipping the page.

"Alright, I'll let her know." grinned Minoru, as he got up and left the room, again closing the door behind him. A devilish smirk appeared on his face as he made his way down the steps. Peeking into the kitchen he caught Haruki alone once more, "1 o'clock he said."

"Okay, I asked Misuzu, and I'll be there." answered Haruki.

"Great," smiled Minoru, before he walked out of the pension to go search for his brother.

Author's Notes: Again, I must give credit to Jason Wade for the song Kichiro sang, it's called You Belong To Me. Search it on youtube if you want to hear it. So Haruki and Kichiro's first date. What's Minoru up to? And why is Mitsuru acting so different. Find out in the next chapter. I will try to update again tomorrow, but no promises it being Christmas Eve and all, but I definitely will try. Christmas day I probably will be too busy to write, but be patient with me, I'll update again soon. Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! =D


	11. Chapter 11: Their First Date

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 11: Operation Kichiro and Haruki's First Date**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

Today was the big day. Haruki was still having trouble believing that Kichiro really wanted to go on a date with her. He just didn't seem like that type of guy, but nonetheless, she figured what could it hurt? It might be fun to spend a little time with him. Perhaps she could get him to relax a little bit today and enjoy himself, but that was just a theory. She contemplated all of this while brushing her hair, looking in the mirror. Should she dress up? Or just go casual?

"Haruki," Minoru called, knocking on her door.

She came to the door and opened it, "What is it Minoru?" she asked.

Behind him were two maids, smiling almost wickedly at her. Analyzing every inch of her body, "I thought my maids could help you get ready." These weren't just any maids, they were twin maids, just like the one's his father had when he was young. Before Haruki could protest, the maids barged into the room and started to take control.

Meanwhile, Kichiro was also getting dressed, though he wasn't looking to go fancy. He figured around Haruki he really didn't need to. He did his usual morning routine then hid in his room until it was about time to go meet Haruki. When he came downstairs, Misuzu mentioned that Haruki already left to go meet him. Hearing this, Kichiro booked it out the door to head into town.

They met up in front of an ice cream shop. She stood up when she saw him coming, "Hey Kichiro." she greeted. She was dressed in a baby blue dress, that tied in back around the neck, with short heels on her feet. Her hair was up in a messy bun, with a couple stubborn curls hanging out of the wrapped contraption. The moment Kichiro laid eyes on her, he was star struck. Though his looks made up for what he lacked in attire, he wore a pair of faded jeans, a black pair of converse shoes, black tank top and white, short sleeved hoodie. They stared at one another in silence before he finally decided to speak up.

"Sorry I'm late," he murmured.

"No, you're fine. I was early, that's all." she smiled.

"Why didn't you just wait for me at the pension? We were going to the same place." he wondered.

"I don't know." she shrugged, and started to walk passed him, "have you ate lunch yet? Come on, let's go find some place to eat."

He watched her started to walk away and slowly followed, before picking up the pace to walk beside her.

From a distance the two were being watched by Minoru and Tamotsu. Minoru holding the feisty blond back, "Boss, stop, you'll ruin the whole thing!" he growled.

"But that's my sister," whined Tamotsu, "I won't let him touch a hair on her beautiful head!"

"Kichiro isn't like that," said Minoru, looking as if he was staring at something dazzling, when really he was just watching Kichiro's movements, "he's actually really gentle, and he cares for Haruki very much. He might have a sour attitude, but that's not who he really is." the wind picked up, tossing his black, orange highlighted hair in the breeze, "they'll be fine." he assured, "let's go back to the pension. Misuzu never said you had the day off, and I'm supposed to take Haruki's shift."

Tamotsu was stunned by the Hitachiin brother, almost touched. "Yes, let's go back." he nodded, and they both turned to go back to Misuzu's pension.

"This food is quite good." said Haruki slurping up some noodles.

"Yeah," muttered Kichiro, moving his chopsticks in a circular motion on the plate. He seemed very distracted.

"When did you pick up the guitar?" asked Haruki, "you play very well."

He looked up at her and smiled, "Some time ago, I'd say about six years. It gave me something to do when I had down time, while also giving me a challenge."

"Do you ever relax?" she asked.

He thought about it, "I haven't been able to in quite a while. I guess I kind of like working… being distracted."

"Isn't it a little overwhelming though? Always working without ever resting." she wondered.

"I'm resting right now," he said, setting his chopsticks down.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Define _it_." he replied.

"This… do you like taking a break from everything?" she restated.

"I suppose," he shrugged.

"Kichiro," she said with a sigh, and his eyebrows raised in interest, "why do you work so hard all the time? I know everyone wants to succeed at something, but you try to be best at everything. Why? I just can't seem to figure out."

He looked deep into her eyes and tilted his head, "I'm not good at much of anything Haruki." he answered, and she was surprised by the answer, "I have no certain thing I'm good at. You said everyone tries to succeed at something, yes that one thing, but I don't have that. I'm average in every subject: Math, science, all of that. So because I don't have a strong point, I try extra hard to discover what it is I'm really good at. By now most people have figured out that they love photography or are good at solving equations, but for me it all just filters in, with little that comes out."

"But you are good at everything," disagreed Haruki, "your grades are at the top of the class, you rank second and that's something to be proud of Kichiro."

"Grades only reflect so much Haruki." said Kichiro, taking a drink of his soda, "I'm good at processing information."

"So do something with technology." she answered.

"That wouldn't interest me." he said.

"What does interest you?" she asked.

He closed his eyes and sighed, running his fingers through his ginger hair, "I don't know."

"Why do you like being distracted Kichiro?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her for a time, his tongue fumbling his mouth, "The same reason my father does." he said with a small, dry laugh.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's easier to deal with what hurts that way. You don't think about it. You don't have time to think about it. It's comfortably numbing." he explained.

"What are you trying to numb Kichiro?" she just wanted the truth. Kichiro was hiding something, something he had never mentioned. She didn't like to pry, but it had been eating at her for quite some time. Whenever he looked her in the eyes, it was like she could see right into his soul, and it was crying.

"Everything," he answered, slowly standing up from the booth, he turned to walk out of the restaurant. Outside was a bench, so he sat down, placing his hands over his face, and slowly running them back into his scalp. It was getting harder and harder to be around her. It wasn't that his heart started to beat fast or that he got the butterflies, it was that his heart was throbbing in pain. A pain that washed itself into his stomach and made him feel ill. She ripped him open… and that scared him.

"I'm sorry," he heard her whisper. Looking up to her now, she stood in front of him with her hands at her sides, "I'm sorry Kichiro." she repeated, slowly her hand extended out, trembling, and placed itself on his shoulder, "I won't say anything more about it, okay?" she asked.

He almost felt himself about to tear up. Standing to his feet, he faked a smile for her, "Let's go get some ice cream and take a look around." he said patting her on the head.

Back at the pension, Minoru was wearing Haruki's apron and washing some dishes. Mitsuru strolled into the kitchen and raised a curious eyebrow, "Where's Haruki?" he asked.

Minoru paused, and looked back at his brother, "She's on a date with Kichiro. He asked her yesterday and she said yes. They've been gone since about one."

Mitsuru stared at him a bit confused. He never expected this to be the case, "Oh…" he murmured.

"Mitsuru," Minoru addressed, "what did Haruki say to you a few weeks ago back at the lake house? You haven't been yourself these past couple weeks."

Mitsuru looked away from his brother, "She didn't say anything. Nothing's different."

Minoru walked up to his brother and stared directly into his eyes, "Everything's different." he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Mitsuru.

"Dammit Mitsuru! Stop playing stupid with me! I'm your brother and I know you better!" growled Minoru.

"You don't know me," scoffed Mitsuru, "you never have."

Minoru tilted his head, "You like her?" he asked.

Mitsuru looked to his brother bewildered, "Like who?"

"Haruki!" boomed Minoru, "Every time you see her, you stare at her. Any time you see her with Kichiro you walk away. What is it Mitsuru!? Tell me!"

Mitsuru stared at Minoru silently. He didn't know how to react to any of this.

Minoru sighed, and leaned against the kitchen counter, "Look Mitsuru, you don't have a chance with her. You and I both know that," he turned to start washing the dishes again, "you're better off to just forget about her." when he turned back, Mitsuru was gone. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, continuing to scrub a dish.

The afternoon started to age with time, as clouds started to roll in before the sun, blocking it out. Haruki took note of this, "There was a chance of a storm later tonight, but it seems to have started to come early."

"Would you like to head back to the pension?" asked Kichiro.

"It might be best." smiled Haruki nervously.

"It's fine, I know how you react to thunder. Want to take a cab?" he wondered.

"We can walk, I'm sure it'll hold off in time." Haruki nodded.

The two started to walk out of town side by side, but Haruki's prediction was false, as it started to drizzle on them. Kichiro checked his cell phone but he didn't have service in the area. Removing his hoodie he shielded Haruki from the rain, "We'll find some place to wait it out. It doesn't look like it'll last too long." he assured so she wouldn't start to get frightened before the thunderstorm actually appeared.

Up ahead of them was an old, rundown, church. It wasn't the most welcoming place of refuge, but it would have to suffice. Once inside, the two of them sat underneath a table together, "Will you be okay?" asked Kichiro.

"Yeah, just a little cold." she shivered.

"I'm sorry," he muttered pulling down the table cloth and wrapping it around her like a blanket. Flipping out his cell phone he noticed he had one bar, he hoped that'd be enough.

At the pension the phone rang, Misuzu skipped over to answer it and listened to the receiving end. Everyone else started to gather when they seen his face turn slightly more serious, putting his hand over the receiver he informed them of the news, "Kichiro and Haruki are stranded at the church about a mile west of here."

"Haruki…" murmured Tamotsu, "tell her I'm on my way." he said turning to go get his rain jacket upstairs.

"No Boss," said Mitsuru standing from his chair, "please let me go get them. My cousin's out there..."

"Mitsuru," Minoru murmured.

"I'm going." said Mitsuru, walking out without worrying about a jacket.

"Mitsuru's on his way." said Misuzu into the phone, "he'll probably be there in five minutes."

"Thanks Misuzu," answered Kichiro before hanging up. He stared at his closed phone, sort of surprised that it was Mitsuru that volunteered to get them.

"Everything okay?" asked Haruki.

"Yeah, Mitsuru's coming." he smiled.

"Okay," shivered Haruki.

Kichiro put his arm around her and pulled her in for warmth, "We're not too far from the pension by car, so it shouldn't be that long."

When Mitsuru pulled up in a cab, he told the driver to wait, and started toward the entrance. Once inside he stared at Kichiro with his arm around Haruki quietly and lowered his head, "I'm here." he mumbled.

Kichiro and Haruki stood up, leaving the table cloth behind, they got into the cab and started back toward the pension.

"Haruki! Are you alright?" asked Tamotsu, embracing her like they hadn't seen each other in years.

"I'm fine Tamotsu, you had nothing to worry about." she assured.

"Glad you're both back," beamed Moru who had been quite quiet up until now.

"The weather can be quite unpredictable can't it?" asked Emiko.

"Least they returned before the weather got too terribly serious." motioned Usagi toward the window. It was now pouring and the wind was blowing fiercely.

"Thanks Mitsuru," said Kichiro, he truly was grateful that his cousin came to get them.

"No problem," murmured Mitsuru, seemingly distracted by the weather outside.

Later that night after dinner had been served Haruki decided to do dishes duty. As déjà vu would have it, Minoru strolled back into the kitchen, catching her alone, "Did you have fun with Kichiro?" he asked.

Haruki now started to dry the stack of plates she had washed, "Yeah, it was a lot of fun."

"…Can I ask you something Haruki?" he wondered.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked.

"What did you and Mitsuru talk about at the lake house a few weeks ago?" he questioned.

She tried to remember, it hadn't really stuck in her brain like it had Mitsuru's, "Oh," she remembered.

_You guys fight to show you love one another right?" she asked, "It's starting to make sense to me. You're showing affection the only way you know how, like a boy would to a girl when they're young. Picking on her, fussing and fighting with her, but deep down… you really care for each other, don't you?"_

"I told him that I think you guys argue so much because you really love and care for one another but don't know any other way to show it." she nodded.

Minoru stared at her surprised, "What did he say?"

"He said I was weird and that wasn't the case."

"There's something more you said to him." said Minoru suspiciously, getting suddenly angry, "What did you say to him Haruki? Because ever since then he's been gawking at you and ignoring me!"

Haruki was stunned. She wanted to give him an answer but couldn't. That really was all that happened, "Ignoring you?" she asked, "I get it." a warm smile appeared on her face, "you're jealous of me aren't you, Minoru? Because you want Mitsuru all too yourself, but don't want to say it."

Minoru looked away with rosy cheeks, "That's not it at all." he growled. This girl was reading him like an open book and he didn't like it, "Just forget it." he huffed before stomping out of the kitchen.

Haruki shook her head and started drying the plates again, "Will they ever come around?" she wondered.

From outside the kitchen she could hear the strum of a guitar, and peaked her head out to see that the gang minus Minoru was gathered around Kichiro who was playing for them, _"She said "I've gotta be honest, you're wasting your time if you're fishin' round here." and I said "You must be mistaken, I'm not foolin' this feelin' is real." she said, "You've gotta be crazy! What do you take me for? Some kind of easy mark?" You've got wits, you've got looks, you've got passion but I swear that you've got me all wrong… all wrong, all wrong."_

He was singing **As Lovers Go by: Dashboard Confessional**, a truly romantic tune he had learned to play a couple years ago, _"And I said "I've gotta be honest, I've been waiting for you all my life." For so long I thought I was asylum bound, but just seeing you makes me think twice. Being with you here makes me sane I fear I'll go crazy if you leave my side. You've got wits, you've got looks, but are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?" _

He noticed that Haruki was listening from afar and made eye contact with her, starting to smile, _"This is easy as lovers go, so don't complicate it by hesitating, and this is wonderful as loving goes, this is tailor made, what's the sense in waiting?"_

She mirrored his smile, leaning against the wall near the kitchen entrance she watched him play and entertain this little family her brother had brought together. Even through the storm, they came together and stayed strong. That's when she noticed a second pair of eyes on her; Mitsuru's. When she waved at him, he smirked to himself and waved back.

"Come join us Haruki," smiled Tamotsu gesturing for her to come over.

Haruki looked back at the kitchen and took off the apron, setting it on the table beside her before rushing over to join them. Sitting beside her big brother with his arm around her she watched as Kichiro started to play another song.

From the top floor Minoru watched the group. He noticed how happy Mitsuru looked being near Haruki, it made his chest ache. Sighing to himself, he stayed put where he was, watching them all from afar. From this point of view he wondered what made it so different, when he had felt this way for a long time. On the outside looking in. Then it clicked to him that usually, Mitsuru was looking miserable as well.

Author's Notes: Lonnnnnng chapter. Again the song I used for this chapter is called As Lovers Go by Dashboard Confessional. I was listening to it yesterday and thought it might be a song Kichiro would sing. Feel free to look it up on youtube. The next chapter the season will be fall so kind of ignore the time lapse in you can. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12: The Shadow of Courage

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 12: The Shadow of Courage  
_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

_For the sake of the story we're going to assume the summer flew by like a breeze and now color changes the leaves. The kids have returned to school and are just getting settled once more with classes, homework, and the like. A big event is coming up at Ouran High, one that the courageous embrace and the cowardly flee from. It's the Ouran High Fall Festival, also known as the Halloween celebration!_

"Are there any suggestions on what we should do as our theme for the fall festival?" questioned the class president of Haruki and the Hitachiin's class.

"How about Fright Fest?" said one of the boys sitting in the front row.

"Yeah," agreed the girl next to him, "we could deck out the school and make it a haunted house."

"We could get into groups of say 3-6 people and be assigned to a specific spot in the school to spook up and scare each other." called another boy randomly.

"Any objects to this idea?" wondered the rather formal class president, then after a pause he nodded, "Alright, my vice president will make a sigh up sheet for the groups and you will each be assigned a place in the school to do whatever you will with. Decide your groups and we'll go from there."

"Should we all four be in a group?" asked Minoru to his brother, cousin, and friend.

"Guess we really have no other choice." said Kichiro, wishing it could be pairs so he could avoid working with his obnoxious cousins.

Haruki watched as the rest of the room grouped up, while one boy was standing in the corner all by himself looking sort of scared to reach out to anyone, "Hey guys, why don't we let him join our group? He's all by himself."

"Haruki, always caring for the lonesome losers." Minoru meant that to be a small hit at Kichiro which caused a slight sign of irritation to appear on his face.

"His name is Isamu," informed Kichiro, his eyes fixated on Minoru, before they looked to Haruki, "he doesn't say a whole heck of a lot. I've heard he's a real coward though, so that's probably why no one's choosing him."

"In that case, bring him over here." smirked Mitsuru.

"The goal of the game isn't to scare your own teammates Mitsuru." said Haruki flatly, "Be nice, I'm going to go get him." Haruki stood up from her chair and started over to the boy. His hair was bright blond, sort of long for a boy's, but not longer than the Hitachiin twins' who had very long hair. His eyes were sapphire blue, and large like he was always frightened. When Haruki walked up to him he blushed. He wasn't used to pretty girls talking to him, even though he was handsome, "Uh hi, your name is Isamu right? My friends and I were wondering if you'd like to come join our group."

"O-oh, oh no I mean- uh," stammered Isamu, blushing furiously, "You see, I'm petrified of just about everything, and there's no way I'd be of any advantage to your team. So I'm sorry, I just don't wanna be a burden. In fact I'll probably just stay home the night of the festival. Halloween's the worst day of the year for me anyway, along with April Fool's Day." he shuddered.

"We really want you to join though," smiled Haruki.

Isamu looked over Haruki's shoulder at the rest of her team, and the Hitachiin twins grinned evilly in his direction while Kichiro just sat there and tilted his head, "Those twins kind of scare me." shivered Isamu.

"Don't worry, they scare everybody." she grinned.

"Well… okay, but I apologize in advance if I'm of no help." he informed, trying to be forceful, but failing.

"Alright," giggled Haruki, leading him over to their table so he could sign up with their team. She decided to introduce him to the Hitachiins, "This is Minoru, Mitsuru and their cousin Kichiro. Guys, this is Isamu."

"H-h-hello," stuttered Isamu.

"Welcome to Team Hitachiin." greeted Minoru.

"Since when was that our team name?" asked Haruki.

"Since there is three Hitachiins here." teased Mitsuru with his tongue sticking out, "you were absent from the discussion and that's what we decided." we being the twins and Kichiro not caring one way or another.

"Hitachiin…" muttered Isamu.

"You okay?" asked Haruki.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." he answered with a shy smile.

The class president interrupted everyone's small talk with an announcement, "Alright, places will be assigned tomorrow. Halloween is Friday so be preparing a plan for your designated area. Class dismissed."

As the week went on the gang discussed what they should do with their assigned area, all except Isamu that is, who kept quiet most of the time and listened. They were assigned the hallway beside the third music room conveniently enough and when they had down time, would venture out there and discuss what would go where and all of that.

By Wednesday, the Hitachiin twins decided that they'd do a vampire/werewolf theme since they were _enemies_, then they debated on what to dress Kichiro up as. Kichiro didn't like the idea of dressing up in the first place, but the twins wouldn't take that as an answer, so to tease him more, they gave him cat ears, paws, and a tail to make him a black cat. Haruki they dressed up as a Lolita Witch against her best wishes, and finally humored Isamu as a cowardly prince.

When Friday finally came, Mitsuru was transformed into a vampire, Minoru a werewolf, Kichiro the black cat, Haruki the witch, and Isamu the dashing but oh so cowardly prince.

"This is embarrassing," groaned Kichiro with bright red cheeks.

Haruki straightened out her oversized witch's hat, "You don't look that bad. Though I don't know how these costumes are supposed to scare people."

"Well…" Kichiro murmured, "someone's scared." he pointed his cat claw to Isamu who was in a corner by the stairs.

"Isamu there's nothing to be afraid of." reassured Haruki, watching the boy flick his flashlight on and off.

"I shouldn't be here Suou! I'm so afraid." whimpered the boy.

"Get over it." groaned Mitsuru, popping out from beyond the stairs in attempt to scare the boy. Isamu freaked and hid behind Haruki who seemed to be his only true ally in this group.

"Leave him alone Mitsuru." said Haruki with a scowl.

Mitsuru came up to her and placed his hand beneath her chin, "Only if you let me partake in your blood." he joked.

Isamu started to swoon, nearly fainting from the word blood and picturing it trickle down one's neck, "Cut it out." Haruki said, jerking her head away from him.

"Minoru is quiet." whispered Kichiro leaning against the wall, "where did he go off to?"

"Not sure now that you mention it." said Haruki.

Suddenly from behind Isamu, Minoru popped up and howled, causing the boy's hair to stand on end as he doubled over.

"I said that's enough!" roared Haruki, "this isn't a game of scare your teammates, leave Isamu alone!"

"Fine, fine, you're no fun." whined Minoru, before he turned to Kichiro and slid him into an embrace, "hey there kitty kitty, wanna play with me?" he teased.

"If these claws were real I'd scratch your eyes out." groaned Kichiro.

"Feisty are we?" cooed Minoru in his ear, resting his head on his cousin's shoulder.

"If someone ends up dead tonight it'll be you." whispered Kichiro flatly.

"Dead?!" squeaked Isamu, turning his flashlight on and off frantically.

"Don't worry Isamu, Kichiro's just kidding." smiled Haruki.

"You know, I bet if we took some pictures of me biting you, those customers of the host club would flip." smirked Mitsuru, now joining in the game of _"Let's Tease Kichiro Until He Cracks". _

"Don't even go there." growled Kichiro.

"Guys, our turn is coming up soon, shouldn't we hide or something?" asked Haruki, trying to distract the twins from teasing Kichiro as best as she could.

That's when they all heard the sound of a squeaky door opening and closing, and then the fumbling of something down the stairs, when it reached the bottom, it was revealed to be a dead body! All at once the five of them screamed and scattered in all directions. Isamu was hurled into a trap door, Mitsuru and Kichiro were flung into a room that was locked from the inside, and Haruki and Minoru were still running down the hallway until Haruki tripped and fell. Minoru automatically stopped and turned back to her, "Haruki! Come on!"

"No, no I can't move. I landed on my knee. Give me a second." She begged, shriveling up into a ball on the floor.

Minoru knelt down in front of her, and removed her witch hat, "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah…" she whispered, her body stiff.

"Wonder where the others went…" muttered Minoru, then his eyes widened, "Mitsuru…"

Slowly Haruki sat up, "I'm sure he's fine. I'm really worried about Isamu though, he was right behind us and then… he vanished."

"Whoever's pulling the strings here is really good…" huffed Minoru.

Mitsuru and Kichiro's room was completely pitch black, in fact, they almost freaked each other out when they reached out and felt one another standing there. Mitsuru pulled out his phone to use it as a light, "Kichiro." he breathed with sigh of relief.

"Yeah… what the hell was that back there?" Kichiro was breathing deeply, backing himself up against a wall and sliding down to the floor.

"I don't know…" muttered Mitsuru, checking the door to find it locked. After a moment he gave up and sat down beside his cousin, who was still trying to catch his breath completely, "looks like we're locked in."

"Great," whispered Kichiro flatly.

The silence of the darkness around them was eerie. Only the aura of the cell phone could really be seen. Thinking of this, Mitsuru decided to address something that had been bothering him for a while. It made it easier now that he couldn't see his cousin's face, "Kichiro, why did you ask Haruki out on a date over the summer?" he mumbled.

Kichiro raised an eyebrow, "I didn't. She asked me. Why are you bringing this up now?" he wondered.

Mitsuru's heart sank, "Oh, she asked you? I see." he whispered, "Just wondering is all." he decided to quickly change the subject so Kichiro wouldn't overanalyze the situation, which he was famous for doing so, "So about that bite to eat." he grinned, bring the phone up to his face to make it glow evilly and flash the fake, sharp canines in his mouth.

"Touch me, and you'll be puking phone parts for a month." growled Kichiro.

"You're so violent." whined Mitsuru.

"And you're so annoying so I guess we're even." Kichiro retorted.

"You know Kaoru would have played along with my dad." sighed Mitsuru.

"Don't even bring that up." Kichiro fumed.

"I'm sorry…" Mitsuru suddenly spoke so genuinely, "…how's _she_ doing anyway?" he suddenly asked.

"Why ask about something you don't even care about?" murmured Kichiro breathlessly.

Mitsuru quieted himself, and closed his phone, allowing the darkness to completely swallow them up.

By now Tamotsu was in hot pursuit of his sister. He heard her scream all the way from another hallway that he was directing with his group. He wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt his little sister. He ran so fast, he ran out of steam quite quickly, and halted in the middle of their designated hallway, where the "dead body" laid in front of the stairway.

"Ah, I see." muttered Emiko with a flashlight and book in her hands. She was following behind Tamotsu with a regular, more careless stride, "I bet I know who decided to prank the Hitachiin Team." she grinned. When Emiko grinned this way, it was sort of evil, but it could just be fitting the mood of the situation.

Haruki and Minoru were now walking around, trying to find the terrified prince they had lost along the way, while also looking for Kichiro and Mitsuru if they could find them as well.

"How's your knee?" wondered Minoru.

"It's fine, I'm sure it's just bruised. The initial pain was what hurt the most." informed Haruki.

"That's good." nodded Minoru.

"Haruki!" shouted Tamotsu as he galloped up to his sister, "are you alright? I heard you scream."

"Yes Tamotsu, we just got pranked that's all." she replied.

"Haruki," addressed Emiko, who was again following Tamotsu, "Didn't you mention a boy named Isamu on your team?"

"Yeah, we can't find him, Mitsuru, or Kichiro." Haruki answered.

"Ah, so it really must have been Mizuki." nodded the shadow queen with a smirk.

"Mizuki?" asked Minoru.

"Nekozawa Mizuki, the leader of the black magic club. She's Isamu's older sister." explained Emiko, "She makes fun of her younger brother for being a coward because she's quite the opposite."

"Haruki!" called Mitsuru, who was running to them with Kichiro by his side, and Isamu following behind them.

"There you guys are, what happened?" asked Haruki.

"Isamu here let us out of the room we got trapped in." explained Kichiro.

"I'm sorry everyone. It would seem my sister wanted to play tricks on me tonight because she found it humorous that I decided to come. I didn't mean to get you all involved. She can be quite scary when she wants to be." shuddered Isamu.

Suddenly a huge shadow of a cat puppet appeared on the wall and Isamu bolted from the seen, scared out of his wits. Descending from the darkness came Mizuki, with a beelzenef puppet on her hand, "Wait up you coward, I'm not done yet!" Mizuki wore a cloak with the hood down, had extremely long, ravenous black hair, and deep blue eyes that matched her brother's.

"So that's all it was…" mumbled Haruki.

"Are you alright Haruki?" asked Mitsuru.

"Uh, huh? Yeah, I'm fine Mitsuru. Thanks for asking." she smiled.

Minoru stared at his brother thoughtfully, when suddenly Mitsuru looked back at him and a scowl appeared on his face. All he could think was how much of a liar his brother was, and some day he'd force the truth out of him.

Author's notes: I had to make Nekozawa's kids appear at least once in this fan fiction. I think Isamu is so cute. I try to pick names that sort of represent the characters. I've read that Isamu means "courage" so it's supposed to be ironic since he's the cowardly prince, and Mizuki means "beautiful moon". Throughout the rest of the chapters I'll reveal some of the other hidden meanings behind the hosts names and such. Anyway, keep on reading and I'll see you at the next chapter. Please review! =D


	13. Chapter 13: The Little Sparrow

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 13: The Little Sparrow_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

"_Hey Little Sparrow," he always called me that. That was his nickname for me. Even when we were kids, he always referred to me as his little sparrow. As I got older I wasn't sure of what to think of it anymore, I know he didn't mean anything bad by it, but sparrows are so small and fragile. It made me wonder if I ever got on his nerves for following him around like I did. He's three years older than me, so when he was eight, and I was five, it really surprised me just how gentle and sweet he could be, when most boys his age claimed that girls had cooties._

"Welcome!" greeted the hosts in the third music room that autumn afternoon. When the girls walked in, the boys were all dressed up like princes and knights. Most of them immediately swooned.

"Hey Kichiro," greeted Haruki as she walked up to his table. He was dressed as a prince today, claiming that the costume was easier to get on and move around in than one of those fake suits of armor.

"Hello Haruki," said Kichiro, taking his eyes off the book he was reading quietly to himself.

"Interesting read?" she wondered.

"Not really, it's an extra credit assignment in Western Cultures class, but he picked the most humdrum piece of literature he could find. You have to read it, then write a three page essay over it." explained Kichiro.

"Oh yeah I remember him mentioning that. How many points is it worth?" Haruki questioned curiously.

'That I'm not aware of. He said he would grade it based on how accurate and creative our essay was pieced together." answered Kichiro.

"Why do it though? Aren't you ranked number two in that class?"

"I was bored." he answered simply with a shrug.

She shook her head at his nonsense, "You never seize to amaze me."

"What's a prince to do?" he asked sarcastically, which made Haruki giggle. At least he wasn't seeming to hate the cosplay idea as much anymore.

"Chiro-kun!" called Minoru scampering over to his cousin dressed in a suit of armor, "I'll be your knight in shining armor." he said, walking up behind Kichiro and locking his arms around his neck. His armor had a slight orange tint to it.

"He's already my prince Minoru, go find your own." muttered Mitsuru flatly, dressed in a baby blue tinted set of armor.

"Knight's are supposed to find princesses to go die for, not princes. Get off me." growled Kichiro.

Minoru pulled Kichiro off his chair and held him tightly in his arms, "You're pretty enough to be a princess." he teased.

Kichiro wiggled in the metal bind, "I said knock it off."

"How have you been Haruki?" asked Mitsuru, not putting much effort into the fight over Kichiro anymore, not that he put much forth to begin with.

"Same as when you asked me this morning," she laughed, "I'm just fine."

Mitsuru's cheeks revealed a light shade of red, "That's good."

"I said get off!" finally snapped Kichiro, bonking his cousin on the head with his book.

The hit didn't hurt Minoru too badly, but of course he was going to blow it out of proportion, "K-Kichiro," he whined, his eyes filled with tears, "why do you have to be so mean?"

Kichiro sighed, and looked away, "Just leave me alone." he murmured, walking over to the nearby window and sitting on the sill.

"He must be in a worse mood than usual." blinked Minoru, rubbing his head.

"Or you put him in a worse mood." said Haruki flatly.

"Uh, excuse me," said a small voice that came from the door. Standing in the doorway was a girl dressed in the Ouran schoolgirl uniform, with medium length crimson hair, that was partially put up in the back.

Tamotsu was stationed closest to the door today, and immediately came to the maiden's rescue, "Hello there Princess, to what do I owe this splendid visit?"

"I was wondering if I might find Katashi Mamoru here," said the girl with a shy, delicate smile. She was quite adorable, standing at only maybe five feet at best.

"Katashi… you must mean our dear Moru hmm?" asked Tamotsu gently.

"Suzume?" asked Moru coming closer now.

"Mamoru," blushed Suzume.

"What're you doing here Little Sparrow?" he asked, approaching her, and picking her up into an embrace before she could respond.

She grew redder by the sound of his voice calling her that childhood nickname, "I came to see you, that's all. Heard you came to this school, asked daddy really nicely, and transferred here."

"You've gotten quite big." grinned Moru, still holding her in his arms like a child.

"You're one to talk," she replied. Moru stood at 6'3" at least.

"Well last time I saw you," which was about a year ago, "you were only about a foot tall." he teased.

"I wasn't that small silly." she giggled.

"It's good to see you." said Moru.

"I see, so the rumors were true." muttered Emiko who was standing nearby.

"Who is she?" asked Tamotsu.

"Kasanoda Suzume, her father went here with our parents back then. Hard to believe she looks so pretty. I heard her father was rather scary looking, but had an incredibly gentle heart." explained Emiko, who always had the information tucked in her sleeve, "Kasanoda Ritsu looked up to Takashi Morinozuka, it wouldn't surprise me if these two are childhood friends."

"They are," confirmed Usagi with his unenthusiastic tone, "they see each other once or twice a year. I guess now that she's going to be coming here for school though, they'll see each other more often."

"Sounds like that irritates you a little Usagi-Senpai," said Emiko, "care to share?"

"Not particularly." said Usagi simply.

Moru walked over to Usagi with Suzume on his shoulders, "Usagi, look who stopped by for a visit."

"Nice to see you Suzume," greeted Usagi casually.

Suzume seemed to hide her face behind Moru's head a bit, "Hi Usagi."

The Hitachiins and Haruki had all decided to watch from a distance, "Wonder why the atmosphere suddenly got a bit hostile just now." wondered Haruki aloud.

_When Moru and I were young, Usagi was always around. Moru seemed to really care about him. He always spoke of how he looked forward to serving his cousin when he got older. Though I noticed that when I was around, Usagi became very distant to Moru, and seemed to shut him out completely. I figured to him I was this irritating little bird he wished would stop coming around, but I looked forward to every moment I got to spend with Moru. Despite the terrible looks Usagi shot at me, I couldn't be scared away from Moru's wonderful bear hug embrace. _

A day passed, the weather was rather pleasing, so the host club was held outside near the garden. Once again, Suzume came to see Moru. All the while Usagi stayed quiet, just listening. Suzume really needed to speak with Moru privately, but there were flocks of girls all around, "Katashi, would you take a walk with me in the maze after hosting hours?" asked Suzume.

"Sure Little Sparrow," Moru nodded, thinking nothing of it.

Later when they took this walk, they walked side by side. Suzume seemed to be a bit anxious, so anxious that when her shoulder bumped into Moru's arm, her entire face flushed, "I'm sorry."

"It's no biggie." smiled the gentle giant. They remained quiet until he spoke once again, "Little Sparrow, is there something you wanted to talk to me about that you couldn't in front of the others?" He could read her quite well by now.

"Actually," she murmured, and stopped walking. He caught on, and stopped as well. She became very serious all of the sudden, "Katashi, there's something I've been needing to say for some time."

"I love you Suzume," said Moru so forwardly. Her whole face turned bright red, it was like all the oxygen had been sucked out of her lungs, "I've always loved you." he confirmed.

_Somehow he always could do that. Just look me in the eyes and read me. He knew all along how I felt, but I was so worried he didn't feel the same way that I hadn't noticed what was right in front of me._

Tears started to flow like waterfalls from her glistening eyes, "However," he said, looking off into the distance, "Usagi means a lot to me. I have to stay loyal to him, as well as my role in this family." her heart started to crack, now she was crying tears of pain, and they burned her cheeks, "don't be sad Little Sparrow." he knelt down in front of her and wiped away her tears, "There is something I needed to ask you." he took her hands in his, "Once you graduate high school, will you marry me?" he asked.

Her heart leapt up into her throat, bursting into tears, she embraced him, burying her face into his shoulder, "Of course I will Katashi." she sobbed.

_I was a flightless sparrow, who didn't think she was anything special. I had hoped that Takashi would see something that I did not, but he did more than that. He gave me the freedom to finally take my first flight. It was so beautiful up in that big blue sky, I never wanted to come down._

Moru scooped Suzume up in his arms and carried her out of the maze. When they came out, she was on his back, piggy back style. All the while, Usagi had listened to their conversation, sitting in a tree nearby.

_I knew he had a commitment with Usagi. A bond; a friendship that perhaps I couldn't contend with, and I was just fine with that, because Takashi's face lit up like a firework whenever he had the chance to help him out. _

Suzume had to be home at a certain time, so after a short embrace she started back into the school to grab her things in the third music room. Usagi walked up to Moru when he was finally alone again, but said nothing.

"Hey Usagi," smiled Moru welcomingly, placing his giant hand on Usagi's head.

Usagi stayed still, and finally let himself smile, "You should give Suzume a ride home. She shouldn't have to be by herself."

Moru seemed a bit confused, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow." said the docile and small boy, as he strolled on passed his friend to go inside.

"Usagi," said Moru, and he stopped, "thank you."

Usagi's smile returned, but he didn't speak. Moru watched as his best friend slowly disappeared into the school, leaving him to stand alone. Looking back at the horizon, Moru's heart fluttered. He was overjoyed about the blessings he had in his life. The sunset made him cherish it all a little bit more. When he noticed a baby sparrow take flight from a nearby tree, his smile was in full bloom.

Author's notes: A cute little chapter all about Moru and Usagi. I was glad to bring Kasanoda's daughter in as well. This whole chapter is just really sweet. =] Stay tuned for the next chapter. Things might just be heating up soon. Please review =D


	14. Chapter 14: Catch the First Snowflake

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 14: Catch the First Snowflake_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

When Kichiro stepped out from a pair of automatic sliding doors, he looked to the sky, feeling the first snowflake cascade down into his bare hand. The first snow of the season. He wore a long jacket, a fluffy scarf, and boots. In his hand was the handle of his schoolbag. He had made a pit stop after school, and was now heading home, on this cold quiet day. It seemed like every movement echoed in his ears as he walked down the street. Each bird taking flight, every car as it passed by, and the whistle of the wind. More snowflakes began to fall. They sounded like atomic bombs touching down in his head.

This happened every year this day, since about nine years ago. Nothing made sense to him, and he seemed like a ghost, walking all alone on this wintry street. Looking ahead he recognized a house. Though it wasn't like him to converse with anyone on this dreaded anniversary, his legs pushed him toward the door. His arm forced his knuckles against the door, standing like a statue he waited for an answer.

Haruki came to the door, surprised that he was here, "Hey Kichiro," she greeted nonetheless. She was dressed in a t-shirt and maroon sweat pants. He seemed different today. His eyes were very dull, his face a bit more pale.

"Hey Haruki," he replied, "I was wondering if you'd help me study. My chemistry test is Monday." he explained.

"Alright," she smiled, "come on in." She pulled the door open the rest of the way, allowing him to come inside. He took a look around, but said nothing. "Would you like me to take your jacket?" she asked. He took it off quietly, along with his scarf and watched Haruki put it on the coat rack nearby, "We can sit at the kitchen table. I'll run upstairs and get my textbook. Be back in a second."

Once she disappeared up the steps, Kichiro walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Taking a seat he pulled out his textbook, notes, extra paper, and a pen. That's when she walked back in, "Alright, so what chapter is it again?" she asked.

"Chapter 4.8: Nonmetals," he answered, opening his book.

She sat down beside him, grabbed his notes, and started looking through them. He had very neat handwriting, and all of it was formatted in a very specific manner. He seemed to really like things in an absolute accurate way, "Alright, name the elements." She listened as he started rattling them off one by one, while explaining their composition and structure. It was like listening to a scientist, his confidence made him seem like he really did know what he was talking about, "Do you actually understand what you're saying?" she wondered.

"Most of high school education is all about memorization," said Kichiro fiddling with his pen on the table, "I'm really good at memorization."

"But memorizing such extravagant terms… isn't it a little challenging?" she was terrible at remembering anything small over the course of about a week.

"I use word association on a lot of it. It makes your memory remember things quicker." he explained.

They heard the front door open and close, "Haruki, we're home!" chimed Tamotsu as he walked into the kitchen. He was stunned to see Kichiro sitting beside her, and started to play the over protective brother card, "Why's Kichiro here, alone, with you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Haruki will you help Tamotsu and me make dinner?" wondered Tamaki as he wandered into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks, unable to speak at the sight of Kichiro.

"He came over so I could help him study." answered Haruki, then looked to her dad, "This is Kichiro dad. My friend from school."

Tamaki raised an eyebrow and smiled casually, "Ah, you must be Kaoru's son hmm? I heard that Hikaru's sons have black hair. You really resemble your father." he said, setting a few market bags onto the counter.

"Yeah," answered Kichiro, "I get that a lot."

"What are you studying?" asked Tamotsu, pulling up a chair and staring at the notes.

"Chemistry, the one thing Kichiro is moderately average at." said Haruki, a bit jealous that he acceded at anything he tried without having to lift a finger.

"Would you like to stay for dinner Kichiro?" asked Tamaki.

"Oh, no sir. I couldn't, I didn't mean to intrude or anything." said the ginger haired boy apologetically.

Tamaki was starting to have his doubts that this was in fact a Hitachiin child. He was used to a very different reply, "You're not intruding. You're very welcome here. No need to be shy. One of Haruki's friends is a family friend. So please, stay."

"If you insist," murmured Kichiro, "thank you sir."

"No need to call me sir either. You can call me Tamaki or Mr. Suou, whatever you prefer." grinned the king, as he started to boil some water.

Kichiro was overwhelmed by how nice their dad was. Tamotsu certainly resembled him in every aspect.

"I'm home!" called a voice after the front door shut. Stepping inside the kitchen was none other than Haruhi, Haruki and Tamotsu's mother. She had her hair cut short, and wore a lady's business suit. She even had the briefcase to match.

"You're home early mom." smiled Haruki.

"Yeah, I didn't feel like pulling an all-nighter again." nodded Haruhi.

Tamotsu was always happy to see his mother and greeted her with a warm embrace, "It's so good to see you."

Kichiro watched the Suou family interact, and felt his heart sink into the acid of his stomach. Haruhi noticed him right away while holding her son, "You must be a Hitachiin." she grinned, recognizing the ginger colored hair.

"Yes," he stood up and offered his hand to her, "Haruhi Fujioka, well I guess Suou now, but I remember my father mentioning you when I was younger. I'm Kichiro Hitachiin, Kaoru's my father."

Haruhi shook his hand and offered him a gentle smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"Haruhi," said Tamaki turning to her, being the last one to greet her, "I'm glad you're home." they embraced, and his kissed her on the forehead.

"I hurried with my paperwork so I could come home and spend time with you all." she explained.

Kichiro sat back down in his chair and started reading over his notes again quietly while the family conversed about Haruhi's day, her current court case, and the paperwork she had to fill out before she showed up. That's when Tamaki spoke about how the kids at school were doing and how proud he was of his students. He decided not to be the Suou heir after all.

When they all finally sat down to eat, dinner was delicious. Everyone had decided to pitch in, in making the dish, so it was made quick and easy. Kichiro volunteered to help Haruki with dishes duty after they finished eating. He figured it was the least he could do for the family that provided him with such a nice meal.

He was drying the last dish when he turned to Haruki, "Will you show me to the door?" he asked.

"Yeah, you sure you want to go so soon? You could stay a little while longer if you want. I can help you study some more." she said.

Kichiro's eyes turned to Haruhi, then back to Haruki, "No," he smiled, "you should spend time with your mother. She's only home every once and a while right? I'll be fine. I'm pretty tired anyway, and I better get home while there's still some light."

Haruki helped him gather his things, and put on his jacket. Wrapping the scarf around his neck, he turned to her, "Thank your family again for me, I haven't had a good meal like that in a long time."

"Will you be alright walking home by yourself?" she asked.

A small smile appeared on his face, "I'll be fine." he assured, placing his hand on her head.

She returned his smile, and decided to give him a hug, "Be safe." she said, patting his back.

His cheeks turned rosy, but he just patted her on the head, "I will." was the last thing he said before he walked out of the door. Haruki watched him slowly disappear from the window. She could tell something was wrong with him, but she didn't know what it was.

By now there was an inch of snow on the ground, and the pavement was a little slick. He was able to keep traction with his boots, and only felt unbalanced every now and again. Patches of snow filled his hair, also landing on his shoulders; The sounds of explosions returned knocking in his head.

_I remember it like it was yesterday. The memory plays back in my head as a dream every night before this day. The anniversary of the accident that occurred so many years ago. Every time I try to change it while I sleep, but it always ends up the same way. It's like I'm strapped to a chair, and forced to watch the demise of my life._

_Its starts off, I'm in the back seat of my mom's car, listening to the low hum of the radio, and watching the windshield wipers rock back and forth in front of us. Snow is falling all around us, and melting once it makes contact with the glass. To my left sits my twin sister, Hikari, or Kari for short. My dad named her after my uncle, but gave it a more feminine twist. She's gorgeous; her hair is up in ginger pigtails with tight ringlets everywhere. Her eyes match mine, a pale emerald green. She has a fuzzy red jacket on, with boots that are far to big for her tiny feet. Her adorable smile, also too large for her small face, beaming at me. _

_I take her hand in mine, mirroring her smile. I was never more close to anyone, but her. I knew I could only ever share everything with her, because she knew me. My mom glances up in her rearview mirror, now also smiling. So proud of her children. Her crimson hair long and silky straight, it's obvious where the we got our green eyes from. My mother was a foreigner, an American woman my father instantly fell in love with._

_We're coming up on a four way intersection. Our light is red, while the left side traveling right has the go. My mother goes to brake, but there's already far too much ice on the ground, and skids on into the intersection, unable to control the vehicle any longer. All goes black, until I wake up to the sound of my father calling my name. My vision is blurred by the bright lights in front of me. I bolt up, finding myself in a hospital bed, wearing a patient's robe, shivering from the dank atmosphere of the room. My father immediately holds me, so tight I feel like I might break into pieces. I still don't know what's going on, but my heart is racing. Something was terribly wrong. Where was mother? Hikari? I couldn't breathe._

_A doctor came into the room, asking for my father to step outside, he looks to me, kisses me on the forehead, and steps out. I watch the two exchange words, and slowly my father cups his hand over his mouth, tears spilling from his eyes. My mother was put on life support that night… my twin sister, Hikari, died. I on the other hand, walked out of the accident without a scratch on me. I was only knocked unconscious from the thrash of the other vehicle colliding with ours._

_When I got to go home with my father, we couldn't say anything to each other. We were both grieving, and for a time lost the ability to speak. He held me the whole ride home, forcing back the tears he wished so greatly to cry. He wanted to be strong for me, the last source of happiness he for sure had in his life._

_He went to his brother a couple days after the accident. Hikaru, my uncle, was buried head to toe in work. He was expected to be in France in three hours, then Germany five hours after that. _

_Stressed to the core, and near to breaking, he finally snapped. He told my father, "I just can't do this right now Kaoru. I'm sorry, I know you're hurting, but I have to be somewhere else. It's important." _

_My father, already in so much pain was pleading for assistance, "Hikaru, I need you. This is important!" the tears wouldn't stop. _

_Hikaru was trying to get out the door, but kept being stalled, "If I don't go now then this contract will fall through." he argued._

"_Why don't you care about your family anymore?" growled Kaoru._

"_I do care about my family, Kaoru. That's why I work so damn hard." retorted Hikaru._

"_My daughter just died and my wife is on life support, you should be here for me!" Kaoru cried._

"_I'm sorry," said Hikaru dryly as he reached for the door of his office._

"_Go to hell." murmured Kaoru, tears burning his cheeks as they slid down his face._

_Hikaru was stunned, "Get out." he muttered, swinging open the door, so Kaoru would leave._

_Kaoru stood there, feeling like his feet weighed a ton, he just couldn't move. Hikaru glanced at the clock on the wall, locked the door but left it open, "Fine, stay here. Just make sure you close the door on your way out. I have to go. You're working on the sixth floor starting Monday." Hikaru, was the older brother, and became president and successor of his mother's fashion business. Kaoru, was his vice, until that day._

"_But that's far lower than-" before Kaoru could argue with him any further Hikaru left his brother standing there all alone. When he was gone from sight, Kaoru cried._

_My dad started to become less and less involved in my life. I figured as I got older that I only reminded him of all the past mistakes in his life, and didn't blame him for an instant. He started to get very involved in his work, leaving me home alone with the help. They were all overly nice to me, I hated it so much it made me sick anytime they smiled. Before the accident happened, I used to see Mitsuru and Minoru all the time, but due to our parents feuding, we didn't see each other much at all anymore. And after I heard what Hikaru had done to dad, I started to resent them._

_Like my father, I started to get absorbed in school work. Every night when I got home I studied until my eyes were sore. Making memory games in my head. Eventually I was forced to pick up a guitar by one of the maids who could tell I was being incredibly too hard on myself for a middle school student. I seemed to get the basics down rather quickly, and eventually started writing little jingles to help me memorize stuff for school. It helped, and gave me something to do. I had to keep my mind from wandering; the moment it did I seemed to reject everything. I'd lock myself in my room and bawl my eyes out until I fell asleep. It was no way to live, but I already felt dead inside…_

_They say time cures everything; that it heals all wounds. I wouldn't say I'm still in as much pain as I was back then, but every year when this date rolls around, all of that pain returns. How I wish that I could go home to a family like the Suou's who give hugs all around and discuss their days. Make dinner together, laugh with one another, and love each other. Haruki was so lucky, and somehow she envied me. If I was her, and knew me, I'd think I was sick. Someone who puts their whole life into studying and exams misses out on everything that really counts, but eventually I just stopped caring about all of that._

Kichiro was almost home now, he could see his house up ahead along with the sunset. When he got inside, he took off his jacket, scarf, and boots, and left them laying on the floor. It was quiet; the help must have taken the rest of the evening off. Taking a hot bath to warm himself up, he laid there in the bubbly abyss, resting his aching body. Slipping on some pajama pants and a matching silk top with his name engraved on the pocket, he walked down the hallway, stopping at his father's door. Opening it, he turned the light on to the dim setting and scanned the room.

The bed was made, and seemed like it had been untouched for days. Running his hand across the soft fabric, it gave him chills to think how long this bed had been unoccupied by anyone. It was absent of any warmth. Sitting down on the edge, he laid back, staring up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin delicately around and around. He rolled over on his side, and closed his eyes. He was so exhausted feeling.

"Kichiro," he heard someone say, and immediately sat up in surprise. Standing in the doorway, he was astonished to see his father's liquid golden eyes staring back at him, "what're you doing?" he asked.

Kichiro stood up quickly and started to head for the door to sweep passed him in great haste, "Nothing dad, sorry. I'm going to bed."

Kaoru caught his son's arm as he started to pass, "You don't have to leave." he murmured, "Please stay and talk with me for a while." his voice sounded pleading.

Kichiro turned to his dad, as two twin tears streamed down his cheeks. Burying his face into his dad's chest he started to cry. He didn't know why he was crying, he just knew he missed his dad so much that all of his emotions rushed to the surface.

Once Kichiro was able to pull himself together, the two sat on the bed with one another and started to talk, "I heard you've been coming home late a lot." said Kaoru, admiring the boy he had so selfishly missed grow up.

"Oh, yeah… I'm sort of apart of this club after school, then I stop by the hospital to visit mom for a while." explained Kichiro, rubbing his weary eyes.

"What kind of club is it?" asked Kaoru.

"A… host club. Tamotsu Suou sort of forced me to join." replied Kichiro.

Kaoru laughed slightly, "Tamaki," he shook his head.

"I've been hanging out with his sister, Haruki. She's really nice, and we get along pretty well… Mitsuru and Minoru are also apart of the host club. They hate each other more than ever."

Kaoru thought about his nephews for a time, "They ever talk about their father?"

"They say nothing but _wonderful_ things about him." said Kichiro dryly.

"Ah, I see." said Kaoru, looking deeply into his son's eyes, "How's school been in general?"

"Very well. I'm ranked 2nd in my class. Haruki helps me study during host club hours. She's really been a big help." nodded Kichiro.

A small smile appeared on Kaoru's face, "You like her?"

"Yeah, she's nice," shrugged Kichiro.

A more devilish smirk appeared on Kaoru's face now, "No, I mean, do you _like_ her?"

"Huh…" murmured Kichiro, "I guess I never really thought about it that way." he noticed the look on his father's face and immediately his cheeks turned red, "what's that look for?"

Kaoru ran his fingers through his son's hair, "You're so cute." he teased.

"Ugh, I already get enough of that from Mitsuru and Minoru." bellowed Kichiro.

"They tease you?" asked Kaoru.

"It's their host style. Tamotsu gave them the idea that they should fuss and fight over me. He claimed it'd be a big hit with the ladies… sadly, he was correct." complained Kichiro.

"Well that's certainly interesting." said Kaoru, thinking deeply.

Later when Kaoru went to go take a shower, he came back and found his son curled up on the bed sleeping. He wasn't going to wake him, instead, he covered him up, laid down beside him, flicked off the light switch, and dozed off. Seeing each other, and swapping stories was just what they both needed. They needed each other more than anything.

Author's notes: Simply my favorite chapter. It's very powerful and finally reveals what I've held back for so long about Kichiro's past. No wonder he's been so cold to everyone for so many years huh? He's such a strong character, and I really adore him =3 please review =D

Oh and to reveal why he's named Kichiro, Kichiro means "Lucky son" which is quite fitting after you read this chapter.


	15. Chapter 15: Paint the Sky

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 15: Paint the Sky**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

The doorbell sounded, alerting the Ootori's that their guests had arrived. Kyouya was fixing tea in the kitchen, "Emiko, be a dear and answer the door." he called, "The Suou's are here."

Emiko bolted down the stairs, skipping the very last one, and made her way to the door. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason she was really anxious to see Tamotsu. When she answered the door, there he was standing beside his father whom he got most of his looks from, with the exception of those chocolate irises of his, "Come in," she said opening the door.

The Suou's walked in, as Kyouya came in to greet them, "Hello Suou." smiled Kyouya, with the tea tray in his hands.

"Nice to see you as always Kyouya," said Tamaki, mirroring his long time friend's smile.

Kyouya led them into the family room to get warm under the kotatsu, and drink some tea. The fathers spoke about what was going on in their lives, how their jobs were doing and so on. Emiko was especially quiet, running her index finger around the rim of the tea cup.

"Emiko," said Tamotsu, and her eyes turned to him, "I learned a new song. Can I play it for you?" he asked.

Emiko nodded, and they excused themselves from the kotatsu. The fathers hardly noticed that they were going off on their own because they were so absorbed in one another's company. Together the teens went into the entertainment room, and Emiko started to pull up a chair when Tamotsu stopped her, "You can sit with me you know." he grinned.

She would have opposed, but just decided to go with it and sat beside him on the piano bench, watching as he sat down, and immediately started gliding his fingers delicately across the keys. The sounds were high and innocent. It was obvious he had been practicing this one for a long time, because the sound was so crisp and lovely to the ears. Emiko was always so enthralled with his piano skills. He had such raw, natural talent. Something she quite honestly envied. She was in a daze, letting the music take her away to another place; her eyes still watching his hands float about in every direction. The sound almost angelic, a song that could only be achieved by one of heaven's angels. Her eyes wandered over to his, watching him stay so focused on what was in front of him, his goofy smile never falling from his face. Everything about his posture was confident; it made Emiko ache. The initial impact of the music was so soothing, but it left her heart throbbing.

After the song ended, the room was filled with silence. Tamotsu turned to her, "Well, what do you think?" he then noticed her head was down, her face shadowed by her bangs, "Emiko?"

Her shoulders trembled, and she looked up at him with a hateful stare, "I don't get you." she growled, fighting back tears, "You… you're so damn talented! You don't have to work hard at anything. You can just walk right on through life casually while the rest of us are trying to catch our breath, crawling! Dammit Suou!" she exploded, and marched out of the room, to go upstairs.

He was not expecting that reaction one bit. Staring down at the keys for a moment, his expression turned completely serious, a face that Tamotsu rarely ever wore. Standing up from the piano he went upstairs, and went into Emiko's room without even knocking. Once he was inside though, he was completely stunned at the sight. The wall he was facing when he stepped inside was entirely covered by different paintings in acrylic and water color, but all done in the same style. They were so detailed and intricate, that it would take hours to get the jest of each one. There were so many in number, that some overlapped the each other. Emiko leapt off her bed, her cheeks a bright rouge, "I didn't say you could come in here." it was apparent she had been crying.

"Emiko," whispered Tamotsu breathlessly, "did you do all of this?" he still was having a hard time believing it.

"It's a hobby," she muttered.

"It's a talent." laughed Tamotsu.

Emiko closed the door and leaned against it, glaring at him, "This doesn't leave this room, you got it?"

"Why not? These are so beautiful." said Tamotsu, turning to her.

"They're nothing special." murmured Emiko, looking away from him.

Tamotsu looked her over, "Does your dad know about this?"

"Of course not!" she growled, "he never comes in here. That's why I only ever paint in here."

"Are you afraid he'll be mad about this?" he wondered with his eyebrows raised so innocently.

"He'll be furious… I know he will." she said, sliding down to the floor.

"Why would any father be angry to see his child's talent?" asked Tamotsu.

"Because this isn't supposed to be my talent," answered Emiko with a glare, "I'm not supposed to be outside the lines. I have boundaries I have to follow, and those are the guidelines! That's the path I have to take!"

"Or is it just the path you've already chosen for yourself to take?" questioned Tamotsu.

Emiko was silent, "I don't know what you're babbling about." she huffed, standing up to walk over and sit on her bed.

"You wanted so much to be the family heir Emiko. I've known this for quite some time, but it's not really about that is it?" he asked.

"Shut up, Suou." she whispered.

"You really just want to feel appreciated by your father don't you?" he was becoming more and more serious by the minute.

"I said shut up…" she growled.

"And you think that by working for something that you don't really want will make him actually turn your way is that right?"

"Shut up!" she screamed, pulling her legs up, and burying her face in her knees.

"Emiko," murmured Tamotsu, "you can't let your father's foolish ambitions run your life. This is your life not his. You don't really want to be the family heir, and you don't even think you have a chance at it in the first place, you just try hard so he'll pay attention to you, but don't you think if he saw this, he'd pay attention?"

"No," she whimpered, it was obvious she was crying silently to herself now.

"Before… when you said it was so easy for me to walk through life. That I was so good everything I did and didn't even have to try. You know why that is Emiko? It's because I don't go through life trying to please other people. I do what I know I'm good at, and if that's not good enough for anyone else then who cares? It makes me happy." he walked over to her wall of art, and pointed to it, "this, this is where your heart and soul are Emiko. I can see it. I can see you in every brush stroke on these pages. Every color, every mood. It's all there, and it's all you." he walked back over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, "stop trying so hard to hide Emiko. You're so beautiful, and so talented, but you hide in your father's shadow and let yourself hurt over this childhood dream of wanting to be everything he ever wanted you to be. Did you ever think he could be happy for just who _you_ are, and who _you_ wanted to be?"

Emiko didn't budge. She just continued to hide her face in shame. It was all true what he was saying and she hated that. She wanted so bad to see her father smile at her and tell her how happy he was that she was his daughter and that he loved her so much for it. It was foolish, but she wanted it so bad she tried to be everything she wasn't.

"He's your father Emi, he'll love you no matter what." stated Tamostu, now kneeling in front of her.

"Please leave," she begged, her face still hidden.

"Emiko, listen to me."

"Just go, and leave me alone." she boomed.

He stood up slowly, staring down at her with sorrowful eyes, "I wanted to save this for later, but… I'll just give it to you now." He pulled a book sized object wrapped up in wrapping paper from his inside jacket pocket and set it down beside her, "I'll see you later Emiko." he whispered, running his fingers through her hair, before stepping out of her room, closing the door quietly behind him.

When she was sure he was gone, she let her feet hit the floor, and stared blankly at the package with a tear stained face. Her hands, shaking, took the gift, and gently started to unwrap it with little effort. From the paper, she pulled out a black book. A sketchbook? The page mark ribbon was placed in the back of it, and it automatically flipped to that page. Inside was a pressed rose, now dried out, but more lovely with its age. There was also a note etched onto the page written in fancy handwriting, obviously Tamotsu's. He was always proud of his penmanship. Wiping the tear stains from her glasses she started to read the message.

"_Hello Emiko,_

_I noticed you like to doodle in your notebook a lot. Figured you might like a sketchbook specifically for it. I don't know if you realize this, but we've known each other for ten years now, and this is just a small token of my appreciation to you. Not only have you shared your kotatsu with me, poured me many cups of tea, and helped me managed the host club, you've also been my most loyal friend. _

_To many decades to come,_

_Tamotsu Suou"_

Another tear spilled from her left eye, and hit the page. Closing the sketchbook, rose and all, she held it to her chest and let a deep breath escape her lips. Setting it down beside her, she rushed downstairs, nearly running into her father who carried the tea tray in his hands once more, "Where's Tamotsu?" she asked, trying to look down so Kyouya wouldn't notice she had been crying.

"You just missed him, they had to be heading home." explained Kyouya, adjusting his glasses, and focusing on her more closely, "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah, the idiot just left something here. I'll give it to him next time I see him." before she could be interrogated any further, she did a 180 and ran back upstairs.

Kyouya stayed put for a moment, trying to decided what that was really about. He decided to analyze the situation while he went into the kitchen.

Emiko let out a deep breath, as she fell back on her bed. Grabbing the sketchbook, she held it above her, blocking out her ceiling light, _"What was I going to say to him anyway? Thanks for the sketchbook?"_ she thought to herself. She looked over at her blank canvas, and the song Tamotsu played for her started to echo inside her subconscious. This was the feeling of inspiration. Getting up from her lying position she raced over to her water colors and acrylic paint and started going wild on the huge sheet of paper in front of her. Mixing shades of blue and pinks; oranges, purples, and yellow. Her form was exotic, sometimes using just her fingers to make splashes of color on the page. Born from all of this was a sky that could be summarized as Heaven, and from that heaven, splashes of colored rained down, touching the earth and blessing its creatures. On top of that Heaven, was a grand piano, that the paint had run a bit on the end, making it look like its shadow was streaking down the cloud it sat upon. Each streak at the end formed little hearts, and once Emiko's eyes laid upon them, she froze.

"_Am I…?" _she wondered to herself, _"there's no way…" _she took a few steps back and stared thoughtfully at the picture. It was definitely one of her strongest creations, could that have been because of the emotion behind it? But what emotion was it?

Author's Notes: What a wonderful chapter. So meaningful in various ways. I really loved writing this. Emiko and Tamotsu are just such a strong duo, and I feel strong emotion when I write for them. The song Tamotsu played on the piano was called "Last Night, Good Night" follow the link to take a listen. .com/watch?v=68zVml9Klew

Thanks for reading all, please review for me. =D

By the way, Emiko means "beautiful child," or "smiling child". I thought it fit her because Emiko tries so hard to make her father happy, that she never gets to experience true happiness herself, thus she never gets to smile. We'll see if that changes soon.


	16. Chapter 16: Samson

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 16: Samson**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

Mitsuru's heart beat in unison with the clock ticking rhythmically on the wall in front of him. His eyes watched the pendulum below the face swing back and forth. As time passed, the thoughts that had been bothering him for so long were starting to surface. He needed to address his brother.

Waiting in the kitchen that morning, sitting on a stool, he awaited his brother to come strolling in so he could finally say what needed to be said. He realized it might start a fight, and at this point what difference did it make? They fought all the time anyway. So why was there this sinking feeling in his stomach?

The door swung open, and in came Minoru. His face expressionless, he breezed right on passed his brother, as if he hadn't even noticed him sitting there. Wiping a bit of sleep from his weary eyes he started digging through the cabinets for something to snack on. The help was away on holiday, so they were fending for themselves for the next couple of days.

"Minoru," said Mitsuru.

"Yes?" he answered, not bothering to offer his brother a glance, as he was too preoccupied with finding something to eat.

"Why did you lie to me about Kichiro asking Haruki on a date over the summer?" he asked, trying to keep an even tone.

Minoru paused hearing this, he didn't expect it, "What do you mean?" he wondered, brushing it off like he had no clue what Mitsuru was talking about.

"Don't lie to me," growled Mitsuru, having a hard time keeping his temper now, "You… you knew I liked Haruki before I even realized it! You told me that so it would hurt me! Do you honestly hate me that much? Do you really hate me enough to lie to me about something like that?!" he was shaking.

Minoru turned to him for the first time that morning, watching his brother react so strongly, he studied him quietly. He didn't expect Mitsuru to catch onto his feelings so quickly. Minoru's glance followed the tiles on the floor before they slowly crept up back to his brother's. Walking over to the counter, to sit across from his twin he tilted his head, "Mitsuru, remember when we were four, that one time at the lake house with dad?" he paused, letting his brother look into his eyes. He could tell this statement confused him, but he let the memory come back to him, "It was over the summer, and mom was off visiting grandpa, so dad decided to take us to the lake house and spend time together. He didn't bring his cell phone or laptop and dismissed work just to spend time with us. We hiked, played games together, even ate together, then that thunderstorm rolled in later that night… it scared me… that thunder right outside our window…" he pictured it in his head, it was so fresh, but it was fading with the years that had passed.

"Where are you going with this Minoru?" wondered Mitsuru.

Minoru continued, "I crawled into bed with you that night. You were scared too, but kept a brave face for my sake. I knew you were scared when you suggested we should go sneak into dad's room and fall asleep with him. We were so afraid of waking dad up… but when we did, all he did was smile at us, and hold us tight until the morning came, and the storm had passed." now Minoru was smiling.

"What's the point Minoru?" growled Mitsuru, getting very irritated.

"That's the last memory I have of us being brothers." explained Minoru, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, tears racing into his eyes. The smile stayed plastered on his face, "frankly Mitsuru, the reason I set Haruki and Kichiro up is because… this whole time it's felt like you were within arms reach. I figured that… if you and Haruki became close… you'd only drift further from me." his free hand trembled, wishing to reach out to his brother, he restrained, "I'm just not ready… for someone to take you away from me yet. You're all I have…" the tears escape his eyes, as they looked into Mitsuru's.

"_You guys fight to show you love one another right?" she asked, "It's starting to make sense to me. You're showing affection the only way you know how, like a boy would to a girl when they're young. Picking on her, fussing and fighting with her, but deep down… you really care for each other, don't you?"_

Mitsuru couldn't pull his eyes away from those that reflected his own. It was like looking in a mirror every time they stared at one another. It was the first time in a long time that Minoru crumbled in front of him. For so many years they built walls against one another. Both had a white flag tucked in their sleeve, but neither had the ability to throw away their pride and reveal it.

_His cheeks turned red once more, "It's a psychological thing really. I just…. I can't stand to look in the mirror!" he growled, "because all I see is him! His damn face staring back at me!" he breathed and quieted himself, "if you looked in the mirror your whole life and didn't see yourself, you'd start to resent that person in the mirror too."_

Mitsuru took his brother's hand in his own. This startled Minoru, but he didn't fight it; he was too stunned. Entangling their fingers, a small smile appeared on Mitsuru's face, "The space between your fingers… that's where mine fit perfectly…" he murmured. Studying their hands, his eyes reverted back to his brother's, "I… understand now." he confirmed, reaching out his other hand, asking for Minoru's other one. Minoru set his hand in his brother's palm, and looked back up at him, unsure of what to think, "I love you Minoru. No matter how many fights, or what happens in other relationships… I swear to you, I will not take the path our father took with his brother. You're my brother Minoru… and I couldn't ask for a better person to share this face with." tears developed in his eyes as he explained this.

Together they both shed tears. Allowing the pain that had built up inside them flow out of the windows to their very souls. As long as they had one another, as long as they could feel each other's pain, look into each other's eyes, and hold onto the hands that fit perfectly, they'd heal.

After they calmed down, and were able to look at each other and smile without crying, the two went upstairs together to spend time with one another. That's when Mitsuru got an idea. Revealing a pair of scissors from a desk drawer, he turned to Minoru, "Let's start over." He said reaching behind his own head and snipping the pony tail in his hair off with the scissors.

Minoru was astonished, but nodded. Taking the scissors from his brother, he followed suit, "What did you have in mind for a new look?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair which now reached just above his shoulders.

"Well," said Mitsuru, studying the lopped off ponytail in his hand, "maybe a more classic look." he placed the ponytail down on the desk, and pulled out a photograph from the drawer. Handing it to Minoru, a smile spread across his face.

"Yes," agreed Minoru, "classic sounds good."

They spent the afternoon trimming, dying, and restyling their hair. Once revealed, Minoru wore his hair parted in the same fashion as before but cut the same way his father used to wear when he was their age with a slight change. His hair completely black, with one single stripe of orange above his left eye. Mitsuru mirrored this look, his hair parted to the right, with a baby blue stripe in his hair above his right eye. They grinned at one another, satisfied with their transformation. Cutting their hair felt like cutting away the past. It felt like a weight had been lifted, a burden so heavy that they could go no further with it on their shoulders. This would be a good start for the Hitachiin brothers.

However, there was still some unfinished business Mitsuru had with Kichiro. That evening, Mitsuru and Minoru headed over to their cousin's house, for once riding in the same limo. Minoru wasn't sure what this little visit was all about, but was curious to see what his brother had planned. Ringing the doorbell, they stood side by side, awaiting an answer.

Kichiro answered it, his help also away on vacation. Opening the door, his eyebrows immediately raised in surprise. They looked so different… he was speechless.

"Let us in." demanded Mitsuru.

"If you two came here to irritate me on holiday you can leave now. I'm not interested in being the center of your torture anymore than I have to be." said Kichiro flatly.

Mitsuru pushed his way through, Minoru following silently. He was still lost as to what his brother had planned for this visit, "This will just be a quick visit." said Mitsuru.

Kichiro sighed, closing the door behind them. Turning to them, he focused on them, trying to figure out why they cut their hair. They looked like completely different people, "Care to share what this is about?" asked Kichiro.

"Kichiro," addressed Mitsuru, facing his cousin, he paused to get his words in order. His expression read completely serious, as he took a step forward and stared directly into his eyes, "I'm going to tell Haruki how I feel about her." Minoru's heart sank at his brother's words. Kichiro had no clue what he was talking about, but continued to listen, "I like Haruki, Kichiro… I could even say that… I love her… and I know you do too." he explained, tilting his head, "So I'm going to make a deal with you. Either you tell her how you feel before this break ends, or I'm going to tell her how I feel the first day back to school. That's all I wanted to say," he brushed passed his cousin, opening the door he turned to Minoru, signaling for him to come with him, "Goodbye Kichiro." was the last thing he said before they left.

Kichiro couldn't move from the place he was standing. Not even his limbs would activate themselves. He stood limp, and stared blankly. Why was this happening? Why was everyone deciding that he loved Haruki? Whenever the club got together and spend time as a family he was never interested, but Haruki always got him to come along. When he was down about something she could always get him to open up about exactly what was bothering him. She saw a side of him he never let anyone else see. Why didn't he notice that his guard was brought down by her and her alone. Could he really love Haruki?

Forcing himself over to the nearby couch he collapsed on it and stared up at the ceiling. If he did love her, per say, just hypothetically, then he only had three days to tell her, if he didn't then what if she ended up with Mitsuru? If that happened… then they weren't meant for each other in the first place right? Kichiro needed to escape. He needed to get away from everything that reminded him of this place and just be alone to gather his thoughts. Getting to his feet, he slipped on his boots and long coat, and stepped out into the brisk evening.

As for the car ride home between the twin brothers, it was quiet, and rather awkward. Finally, Minoru decided to speak up, "What… was that back there? I thought-"

"I did that to make him think about it." said Mitsuru, "Kichiro's let a heavy burden weigh on his heart for far too long, he needs to reach out to someone. He needs to feel loved. I know he loves her, even if he doesn't know it, maybe now he will begin to realize it. Haruki… no matter how much I could try to get her to like me… she's already got her eyes set on him, even if she has yet to realize it. I… want her to be happy Minoru… and I know that Kichiro can give her that if he breaks out of this ice he's put himself in." he looked over at him and smiled, "besides, now that we're finally starting over… I want to focus on getting us back to good. I don't intend on telling Haruki how I feel… but maybe if Kichiro thinks I do… he'll realize something about himself that he's trying so hard to deny. He has to live passed the life that he's encased himself in."

Minoru was amazed at his brother's efforts… and his sacrifices, "Why are you doing this?" he wondered.

"To right the wrong our father made so long ago…" murmured Mitsuru, "Kichiro's family… I want him to know that."

Minoru never realized how mature Mitsuru had become. A smile melted on his face as he rested his head on his brother's firm shoulder, "It's all up to him now."

"…Yep." muttered Mitsuru, watching the lights race by as they made their way home.

Author's Notes: Omg! I'm so sorry guys! My computer had an epic fail and I couldn't get on it all week! Gomenasai! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Hope to update again soon! Love you all and thanks for reading! Please review =D thanks.


	17. Chapter 17: Acceptance

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 17: Acceptance**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

The phone made a racket in the Suou household. It rang three times before Haruki was able to get to it and answer it. She was the only one home at this time, "Hello?" she asked.

"Hello Haruki it's Emiko, may I speak with Tamotsu? He hasn't called me in a while and usually he calls me at least once a day." Emiko was starting to get suspicious after two days of his absence.

"Didn't he tell you?" asked Haruki, "He's going to France to visit our grandmother. He left about an hour ago to go to the airport."

"Oh," said Emiko, her voice trailing off.

"You're usually the first one to know anything about him. I'm surprised he didn't tell you. He's been a little busy packing, but still…" Haruki was also a bit surprised by her brother's unusual behavior.

"Do you know when his flight leaves?" wondered Emiko.

"In two hours." confirmed Haruki.

"Alright, thanks Haruki." without another word Emiko hung up, and sighed. She was unsure why, but ever since she constructed that painting she hadn't picked up a brush since. Her mind was filled with nothing but that brainless blonde day in and day out. It was starting to affect her physically, to the point where she'd much rather lay around then do something constructive which was definitely out of character for her. The last memory she had of Tamotsu kept playing back in her head. She couldn't get over the fact that there was something she needed to say to him. Something that she couldn't figure out, and every time it crossed her mind she felt sick.

Kyouya started to notice his daughter's new pattern. Every morning she'd come into the kitchen, grab herself a snack, and go back upstairs without a word. He wanted to address the sudden mood swing, but decided it must just be some teenage girl thing that she'd bounce back out of in a few days. Still, he couldn't help but be a tad bit concerned.

Two hours, and Tamotsu would leave Japan. She wondered how long he'd be gone. A few days? For the rest of the holiday break? She watched the seconds tick by on the nearby clock. Seconds turned into minutes, and with each one passing, she was getting more and more frustrated. After twenty minutes had passed, she hoisted herself off her bed, put on her shoes, and a scarf, and started downstairs. Kyouya was home and heard her bolting to the door from his office.

"Emiko, are you going somewhere?" he called.

Emiko paused with her hand on the doorknob. What was she doing? "Yes father, I'll be back in a little while. I have an errand to run."

"Alright, be safe." he answered.

Her cheeks turned bright red. She had never gotten such a response from her dad before, and it warmed her as she stepped out into the winter cold. Jumping into her limo, she told the driver their destination, "To the airport please." she still had time to see him before he got on that plane. She had no idea what she was doing, nor what she planned on saying. She just prayed that once she saw him, all of it would come to her. What else could she do? She couldn't stand this suffering any longer.

She could still hear that song he played that evening so clear in her mind. She hummed it to herself as she looked out the window, watching the world fly on by. Something about the significance of this moment right here and now touched her. That painting, Tamotsu's words, his music, his actions… all of it. It boiled down to this moment right here.

When they reached the airport, Emiko still had twenty minutes before Tamotsu's plane would take flight. It was now a race against time to find him in this giant airport. She raced through lines of people to find flights to France. Her heart was thumping rapidly against her ribcage. Why did she have this sudden adrenaline rush? When she turned the corner, there he sat in one of the small seated areas for those awaiting for their call. He was facing another direction so he hadn't caught on to her yet, but she'd recognize that blonde head of hair anywhere.

"Tamotsu!" she called, and he turned his head to the side to see her. His eyebrow perked in surprise, as he stood to his feet.

"Emiko? What are you doing here?" he asked with his innocent face of confusion.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going on a trip?" asked Emiko, annoyance seeping through her huffs, catching her breath she had lost running ragged every where.

"Figured you were still mad about before." he said, tilting his head, his expression seem to be nothing less than guilty.

"Oh," said Emiko, not sure what to say now.

"Why did you come here?" he wondered.

"I… I need to talk to you." answered Emiko, tuckinga lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Tamotsu," said another female voice. When she came closer, she was a girl with blonde hair, green eyes, a mature figure, and stood at about 5'8. She was a few inches taller than Emiko. Emiko's heart stiffened at the sight of her, "Whose this?" the girl asked with a gentle voice.

"This is my friend Emiko," said Tamotsu with a smile.

Emiko's face turned cold, as she looked away. Her pride had been crushed into pieces. Seeing him beside another girl, why was it so different now? "I… I have to go." said Emiko, turning away without another word, and heading back in the direction she came.

"Emiko?" murmured Tamotsu. When he saw her take off running into the crowd, his heart jumped and he followed her without a moment's hesitation. After losing her in the crowd twice, he finally caught up to her, and reached for her hand to stop her, "Emiko what's wrong?" he demanded.

"Who is she?" barked Emiko, smacking his hand off of hers, "Tamotsu you idiot! Is that why you didn't tell me? Because you have a secret girlfriend in France? Why would I care!?"

Tamotsu raised an eyebrow, "What? Emiko, she's-"

"I get it alright?! You're the same as all the rest…" she said starting to turn away.

"Emiko, wait." said Tamotsu in a pleading tone.

"What?" she murmured, her back facing him.

"She's my cousin Emiko." Emiko's eyes widened at those words, "she flew out here to keep me company on my flight. You know how lonely I get when I'm by myself." he chuckled nervously.

She lifted her head, and smiled. Laughing dryly she shook her head, "You're hopeless."

"Hmm?" he tilted his head once more.

Turning to him, she looked up at him with sparkling eyes. Letting a smile play across her face, tears escaped her lovely purple eyes, "You drive me crazy you know."

He smiled, coming closer to her he wiped her tears away, "No need to get so emotional over it. It's just me. I'll be back in a couple days, I just figured since I had some time off I'd go see grandma."

"It is you…" murmured Emiko, staring at him.

"All boarding flight to France, please report to your station." said the woman on the loud speaker.

"Well… that's me." said Tamotsu, "You wanted to talk to me about something?" he asked.

"It's not important. Enjoy your trip." Emiko said, hesitating to walk away.

"Emiko," said Tamotsu, taking her hand to stop her once more. They stood in silence for a time, before he spoke again, "you came all the way here. Please tell me what was so important."

She started to tremble, as she looked back to him, "I… I honestly don't know. I figured once I got here, I'd know exactly what to say… I'm usually good at that sort of thing, but right now… I feel like a completely different person. I can't think straight, I have no energy, I've been wasting the past few days doing nothing but thinking of you and I don't know why. So I guess… that's what I wanted to say."

Tamotsu smiled weakly, "We're a hopeless case aren't we?" he laughed, "I… have to confess that I haven't been able to stop thinking about you from the moment I left that night. You were so upset, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. I honestly thought I had ruined our friendship… I didn't mean to make you hurt Emiko. I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault." replied Emiko, "What you said was true. All of it… I just live in the shadow of my father… so maybe he'll accept me… and be proud of me."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting him to love you Emiko, but what you've failed to see is that he already does. He does so much." assured Tamotsu.

"I guess…" she muttered, looking at the floor. "Thank you for the sketchbook." she said looking up at him gratefully.

"Last call for all boarding flight to France." reported the woman on the loud speaker.

"You better go," said Emiko, giving him the _I'll be okay _smile.

"Yeah," answered Tamotsu breathlessly, "I'll call you once I land okay?"

"Alright," nodded Emiko, "goodbye Tamotsu."

"I've learned to never say goodbye to people… because if something were to happen, the last thing you'd ever remember of them was saying _goodbye, farewell_. I wouldn't want that to be the last memory we ever shared you know? The word makes no sense to begin with "good" bye. There's nothing good about it." he stepped closer to her, now cradling her face in his hands, her cheeks turned a rosy red hue, "Despite all of that, the truth is… I didn't tell you I was leaving because I didn't want to say farewell to you, even if it was only for a short time. So let me express what I've been feeling for quite a while now." leaning into her, he gently pressed his lips to hers. For that moment, time stopped, everyone around them disappeared, and they were alone. Two teenagers, confused, and feeling strong emotion. Pulling away from her, she was now in tears once more. Why did this idiot have to be so captivating? "Emiko, I love you." he confirmed, "And when I get back… I hope that you'll give me a chance to prove that."

Her lower lip quivered, thoughts racing; she had no idea how to respond. On her way to this place she never expected this to be the outcome, but a part of her, deep down was so relieved that it had. Trying to cover her embarrassment, she bit her lower lip and smirked, "Just one chance." she said sarcastically.

He mirrored her smirk with his award winning smile and kissed her on the forehead, embracing her tightly, they were a single drop in the pool of the crowd.

"Last call for all aboard flights to France. Last call." repeated the woman on the loud speaker.

"Go, you'll miss your flight!" Emiko urged, shoving him playfully now. It was a side of her that had never been seen before.

He laughed at her sudden enthusiasm, "I'm going! I'm going! I'll see you when I get back… and Emiko, keep smiling, okay?" was the last words exchanged between them before he disappeared off in the crowd once more.

And that's just what Emiko did. The whole way home she was smiling. This feeling was crazy, electric, and abnormal, but a part of her was enjoying it. She had never felt excitement before, but as she said, anything Tamotsu tried at, he succeeded with flying colors. He could light up a whole city with that smile of his. His touch like magic pulled from a fairytale. He truly was a prince…

When she arrived home later, she had a spring in her step, "I'm home!" she announced, slipping off her shoes. She started to head upstairs when her father appeared from his office.

"Emiko, may I speak with you for a moment?" he requested.

She looked at him surprised, "Yes."

He gestured for her to take a seat on the couch, and sat in the big arm chair across from it. Looking her over, he took off his glasses, and stared at them thoughtfully, "Tamotsu Suou called me about ten minutes ago."

Emiko's heart jumped into her throat. Her ability to form words disappeared.

"He said to me, "Mr. Ootori, I have a request. I would like it if you went into your daughter's bedroom, and take a good look. She'll hate me when she finds out I've decided to call you myself, but she just won't show you where her heart really lies."" he paused, putting his glasses back on. Emiko was starting to really fidget by now, "So I did, and when I turned on the light… I would have never imagined that you had a knack for painting…" as always Kyouya seemed to choose his words carefully, but they were in fact very natural, "I couldn't find the words, and he said to me, "Magnificent isn't it? That's what your daughter is sir. She's so talented, bright, and beautiful, but she'd throw all of that away in an instant just to see you smile at her and tell her how much she means to you.""

Kyouya couldn't look at her, and this made Emiko nervous, "So after we hung up, I thought it over, and I just couldn't make sense of it. Emiko, you're my daughter. You were my first child, and the first time I held you in my arms, and you smiled at me… I cried. Every moment I get to spend with you when I'm not busy working, you might not think so but I look forward to it. Not just with you, but with your brother too. I… I'm so proud of the young woman you've matured into Emiko. You work so hard, and believe me I do notice it. I never wanted to make you feel insignificant. That's what my father did to me…" his voice trailed off, thinking of it now, "I never wanted to do that to my kids… but I guess somehow I did anyway."

Kyouya got up and sat down beside her, "Those paintings are amazing, and if that's what makes you happy, then smile." he said, putting his arm around her and holding her tight, "I love you Emiko, you're my baby girl, and it hurts me because I know I haven't seen you smile that bright since the day you were born. Just be yourself, and find what makes you happy. Don't feel that you have to live in my shadow, because you're not my shadow, you're my light. You are a living definition of everything I've ever done right in my life. I believe that with all of my heart." by now Emiko had broken down in her father's arms. She was so overjoyed to hear these words. The words she had been longing for, for all of these years. She really did owe Tamotsu her life. He did what she never had the courage to do, and in the end, it was just what she needed.

Author's Notes: Definitely a touching chapter. I feel that Emiko is someone really relatable. Her and Tamotsu are simply magic together, and I really love them. =] Please review, and thank you so much for reading. =D


	18. Chapter 18: Lights Will Guide You Home

_Fall in Love All Over Again_

_Chapter 18: Lights Will Guide You Home_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

A couple days had passed since the last phone call at the Suou household. Yet when Haruki answered this time, the news would prove to be more unpleasant to her ears than just Emiko wondering where her crazy older brother was. She picked up the phone and held it to her ear, "Hello, Suou residence, Haruki speaking." she answered.

"Haruki?" asked a voice on the receiving end. It was Mitsuru, but his voice sounded hoarse and scared.

"Mitsuru? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Have you seen Kichiro?" he answered with another question.

"…No, why?"

Mitsuru sighed, rubbing his eyes irritated, he held the phone with his other hand, "Kichiro's been missing for three days. The single maid around his house who decided not to take off said she hasn't seen him. It's sort of an anniversary for his family… and his dad thinks that's why he's gone."

Haruki couldn't digest this news. She knew he was acting odd the last time they had seen each other, but now a disappearance? "An anniversary?" she said, with hardly any voice.

"His twin sister's funeral was held the exact day he had gone missing many years ago. It's the only connection we can make." informed Mitsuru.

"…what?" breathed Haruki.

Mitsuru took a deep breath, "He should have been the one to tell you all of this. Haruki… Kichiro harbors a deep pain, I'm sure you've noticed that. A long time ago when he was really young, him, his twin sister, Hikari, and his mother all got into a bad car accident. It killed Hikari instantly, and his mother is still on life support to this day. You ever wonder why he's always first to leave the host club? It's because he goes to see his mother each day after school…" he paused to let her take that in, searching for something further to say, but failing miserably.

Haruki's eyes filled with burning tears that cascaded down her cheeks, "I can't imagine… how alone he must feel…" she whimpered.

"…will you help us find him?" asked Mitsuru quietly. He didn't like to hear Haruki cry.

"Yes, I'll go look around town right now. I'll have my cell phone on me so if you have any updates call me." she said.

"Alright, I will."

They both hung up and Haruki raced to get her shoes on, grabbed her cell phone, swiped her jacket, and ran out the door.

There was a tall business building in town, which horded many workers frantically racing around to find measuring tools, pens, and the like. Sitting in an office by himself was Kaoru. He was so worried about Kichiro he couldn't think straight. When his assistant walked in, he stared at her with eyes that looked like they were about to burst. Standing up from his chair he grabbed his suitcase and told her, "I'm taking the rest of the day off."

"But sir," objected his assistant.

"I don't care if I get fired, my son means more to me than this lousy job!" he barked. He got to the elevator, and went down as far as it would go, then took some stairs down into the parking garage. The place felt like a cave, damp and dark. Getting in his car, he put the key in the ignition and tried to start it. He tried numerous times, but of course as his luck would serve, it wouldn't start. Looking in his rearview mirror, he noticed someone's lights flashing, and got out of his car to get a better look. An expensive black car pulled up, and the window rolled down automatically. Sitting in the driver's seat was none other than Kaoru's twin brother, Hikaru.

"Need a ride?" he asked with a smirk.

Kaoru stared at him dumbfounded, but got in anyway. He was desperate, and needed to go find Kichiro. The car ride was silent. Neither of them would say anything. Kaoru's heart was pounding fiercely, it was starting to hurt a little.

"Kichiro's missing right?" asked Hikaru.

Kaoru nodded.

"Know where he could be?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe where they buried Hikari so many years ago, but that was no good." he ran his fingers through his hair, "I'm such a wreck, I can't even think straight."

"Good thing I'm driving then," joked Hikaru quietly.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Kaoru finally.

Hikaru stayed quiet as they coasted onto the highway, "I screwed up, Kaoru." he muttered.

Kaoru glanced over at him, "and it took you this long to figure that out?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes, and shook his head in irritation, "No, it's just… you're not the only one with problems. All I wanted was to provide a home and a life for my family. I figured to do that it meant I had to work hard. In doing so… I've lost a relationship with my brother, my sons… my wife." his voice trailed off.

"Hikaru…?" Kaoru whispered.

Hikaru blinked a couple times so he wouldn't lose control of his emotions, "She told me that I'm different now. That I'm not the man that she fell in love with, and… she is on the verge of wanting a divorce." Hikaru had to choke out the words.

Kaoru's eyes were fixated on his brother's. He honestly had no idea.

"My luck, she'll take the boys and half of everything I've worked for up until this point. I tried so hard to create a stable foundation, and… now I'm watching it crumble." He bit his lower lip and sighed, "I miss my boys above all else…"

Kaoru was sort of moved, but couldn't speak. He was watching his brother, whom he thought was so strong, just fall apart in front of him, all the while still being able to control the car that kept them alive.

"I love you, Kaoru. I'm so sorry." he finally said, "I figured demoting you might be a good thing. You'd still be making the money, but you could take off whenever you wanted, so you could spend more time with Kichiro. I know that… he means everything to you. Being the head of the company… it gives me little to no free time. I just wanted you to be able to do what I couldn't, spend time with your family."

"You can fix all of this." said Kaoru, "It's not like you to admit defeat so early in the battle. What happened to you?"

"Life." answered Hikaru.

"Then get a new one." replied Kaoru. They came to bumper to bumper traffic and were at a stand still. Hikaru rubbed his eyes in frustration, and Kaoru placed his hand on his shoulder, "I bet, Mitsuru and Minoru would love to spend time with you. They have their stubbornness, not quite sure where they got it from," grinned Kaoru, and Hikaru grimaced, "but they love you and miss you. Take a vacation, and prove to your family that you're still the same person."

Hikaru half smiled, "Maybe I will, as soon as I fix the first mistake I made." he said taking one of his hands off the wheel, to hold Kaoru's. Kaoru held on to his tightly, and they both smiled at each other in unison.

Meanwhile, Haruki was running through town, checking all of the places Kichiro might be. She was trying to get inside his head and figure out exactly where he might go. She tried to recall every last detail of everything he ever said to her.

"_I've never been able to swim," he started to explain, "and one time… someone I knew fell off a boat we were on, into the ocean. I panicked, and did the first thing that came to mind. She didn't have a life preserver on, but I did, so once I got a hold of her I put it on her, to guarantee her life, forgetting the fact that I had no clue how to keep my head above water." he recalled the memory like it was yesterday, "luckily dad noticed and pulled us both out, but it made me realize how easy it was to die. It's the living part that's so hard."_

She stopped on the sidewalk, and turned her head to notice that she was near the outskirts of town. If she took a left and headed down that road there would be a huge bridge over a long drop into a river that eventually flowed into the ocean about an hour's walk from here. _Her_… Hikari? Was it Hikari that fell off the boat that day? Could he have possibly gone to the ocean? It was a risky guess, but it was the only lead she had. She started down the country road, that went from black top to gravel about ten minutes into her jog. She was getting tired of trying to move so quickly, and eventually slowed to a fast walk to try and catch her breath. She had been jogging through town for about forty five minutes straight, and it was finally catching up with her.

The further and further she went down the gravel path, the more rural the area became. A canopy of tree tops made a bridge over her, eclipsing the sun, chilling the area. She shivered as she pressed on. Watching only little bits of sunlight that managed to penetrate the blanket of green seep through and dance on the ground when the breeze picked up. Soon she came upon the bridge. It was so high above the river, that it could make one dizzy with just one glance over the edge. A hard wind blew when she took the first step onto the bridge. She gasped to see Kichiro, standing on the concrete railing of the bridge, staring down thoughtfully at the water blow. He couldn't possibly be thinking of jumping!?

Haruki started to panic, her feet moving before they were even instructed to, tears streamed down her face, "Kichiro, no!" she begged. He turned his head slowly in her direction and stared at her shocked. How did she know where he had gone? She looked so scared, and she was… crying? "Get down from there. Don't jump, please!" she cried, getting closer and closer, "I heard about everything! Your sister, your mom! The accident! I know it all." she started to slow, losing her breath from hysterics, "Look I know the world is a scary place, and being in it all alone must be the most terrifying thing in the world, but you're not alone Kichiro. I'm right here! Maybe you don't feel like you have anyone to turn to," she dropped to her knees and took long gasping breaths, "and maybe you don't feel like you've got a home with a family who sits around a table and loves each other deeply, but Kichiro, when I'm with you… I feel like I'm truly home. All of us at the host club, we're your family too right?!" she was now bent over, blubbering like a fool.

Staring at her, he tilted his head, "Haruki," he murmured, turning to face her, he suddenly felt his footing slip, as he started to fall backwards. Haruki immediately jumped to her feet when she saw him start to fall. She reached for him, but it was too late, and he was starting toward the water. Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt in after him. He opened his eyes to watch her come falling down after him, tears streaking through the air from her eyes, she reached as far as she could for him. His eyes grew, suddenly feeling very worried about her, his initial reaction was to reach for her in return. When their hands touched, he pulled her in tight, with his head rested on her shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered, "I need to tell you something." she slowly opened her eyes, listening to every word that echoed into her ear, "I really like you Haruki," he seemed to clasp her tighter, "don't cry anymore for me. I never planned on suicide. I was just trying to be alone for a while."

"You have everyone so worried…" she murmured into his chest. Looking into his eyes she was still a bit taken back, "You like me?"

"Seems everyone knew it before I did." he joked nervously.

She smiled, and kissed him on the cheek, "I like you too."

His cheeks turned red at such a bold move and a big smile spread across his face.

Above, driving along the bridge, a car came to a stop, and Kaoru bolted out of the car to look over the edge and watch his son disappear into the water, "Kichiro!" he screamed. Hikaru jumped out and stood beside his brother, staring nervously at the water below. That's when Kichiro and Haruki surfaced, and they both looked up to see Hikaru and Kaoru above them bewildered.

"Dad?" gasped Kichiro, "Hikaru?"

Kaoru's heart was pounding, he knew Kichiro couldn't swim.

"I can get us to shore." assured Haruki, pulling Kichiro along.

When they got up to top of the muddy drop off, Hikaru and Kaoru were there to pull them up the rest of the way. Kaoru had Kichiro, and Hikaru had Haruki. When the twins got a good look at the girl, they exchanged a glance, and Hikaru said, "You're Haruhi's daughter aren't you?"

Haruki nodded.

"Dad, why are you-?" Kichiro started to wonder.

"I was so worried," said Kaoru, embracing his muddy son extra tight. He was so upset he was shaking.

"I'm fine," reassured Kichiro with a smile.

"You've really grown up," commented Hikaru. Kichiro stared at him. It had been a long time since they had last seen each other.

"Yeah, so have Mitsuru and Minoru." said Kichiro.

That's when another car pulled up, a black limo. Descending from the limo was a pair of troublesome twins. Speak of the devils and they will appear. They seemed panicked. Truthfully they were just as worried about their cousin.

"Kichiro!" cried Minoru.

"Haruki!" exclaimed Mitsuru.

They lessoned their pace when their eyes met their father's. Slowly, Hikaru rose to his feet and stared at them, amazed by how much they had grown, and changed. Their hair was short, last time he recalled it was quite long. They were also standing beside each other comfortably, something he hadn't seen them do in quite some time. A smile appeared on his face involuntarily. These were his sons, and he was so happy that they were. Walking up to them slowly, he put his arms around them, and held them tightly, whispering an apology.

Mitsuru and Minoru were stiff. They were so caught off guard they didn't know how to react. Their arms slowly snaked around their dad, and held on tight. Almost at the same time, the two of them started to cry. Kaoru smiled seeing this; he had been right. No matter what Hikaru did, his sons would take him back with open arms in a heart beat.

Author's notes: Sorry it's taken me a bit to update. Had a sort of lazy last couple of days. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really loved writing it. I hope it makes all of you who were mad at Hikaru feel at ease that he's really not as bad as he previously came off as. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter =3


	19. Chapter 19: Reunited

_**Fall in Love All Over Again**_

_**Chapter 19: Reunited**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, but I do own the fan-made characters.**_

_**Note: This story will contain new characters with a new plot. The same corky humor will remain. Watch as the next generation of the Ouran Hosts find themselves by finding each other. **_

Each slip of paper read as follows:

"_Dear Receiver,_

_You are invited to Ouran High School Host Club third music room. It is very important that you attend._

_Signed,_

_Anonymous."_

So down the hall they walked, side by side. A pair of identical twins whom hadn't walked these halls in years. Though the way to this place was far from forgotten. This very destination had changed their lives for the better, and in this same magical place, it would happen once again.

They opened the doors together, giving each other a glance, and a smile before doing so. When the doors opened, inside was a room royally decorated, with a sign that said, "Welcome" in big bold letters. Footsteps were heard, revealing a tall blond man who even though many years older, had not aged much physically. A smile spread across his lips, "Hey there doppelgangers." he teased.

Hikaru and Kaoru smiled together in unison, "Hey boss," they echoed, coming closer to him now.

Kaoru looked around the room, it might have been decorated, but it was the same it had always been, "What's this all about?"

The doors opened behind them, and in walked Haruhi, still dressed in her business attire, "Tamaki, why did you want-?" she cut herself off making eye contact with the Hitachiins. She hadn't seen them in years.

"It's been a while, Haruhi." Hikaru smirked.

Haruhi smiled back, "Yeah, it's good to see you both."

"To answer your question," mumbled a voice, as a mysterious shadow king made himself known, walking up beside Tamaki, he pushed up his glasses and revealed his evil smile, "Tamaki has invited all of us here. A get together. Not just us, but with our kids as well. They'll be here soon enough."

Just then Mori walked in with Honey by his side. They were still the same as they had always been, Honey hadn't even grown an inch, and Mori was still a tree, "Hey Haru-chan!" beamed Honey with glee.

"The family is all here." said Tamaki satisfied, "now we wait for the next generation to appear."

"What's this all for Tamaki?" asked Kaoru.

"It's been a long time." answered Tamaki, "too long in fact." he proceeded over to the table to get a glass of water, "I've missed this."

"Hello everyone," greeted Tamotsu who had returned from his trip that morning. His arm was around Emiko's shoulder. They seemed quite smitten with one another.

When Emiko saw her father's questioning gaze, she immediately took a step forward to let Tamotsu's hand fall, "It seems the old host club has been brought back together."

Tamaki grinned at Kyouya and elbowed him teasingly in the ribs, "Hey Kyouya, it looks like we might end up being in-laws."

A cold scowl appeared on Kyouya's face, and he instantly went to grab himself a glass of champagne. Things were already making him stressed out.

"Mom?" asked Haruki, who entered now, with herself wrapped around Kichiro's arm, "I didn't think you'd be here."

Tamaki instantly choked on his water. The twin's stared back at him with their signature Hitachiin smirks, "In-laws, huh boss?" they asked.

Kyouya automatically handed Tamaki a glass of champagne and took a swig of his own, no words exchanged.

"Yes, your father said there was something important going on tonight and that I should be there, so here I am." answered Haruhi finally.

"We're here!" squealed Moru, with Usagi riding piggy back.

"Sorry we're late, we had to close the bakery for mom." said Usagi. Honey ended up running a bakery with his wife, teaching his son not only his love for the martial arts, but also his love of sweets.

Hikaru was getting a bit worried.

Kaoru noticed and placed his hand on his shoulder, "They'll be here."

As if right on cue, Mitsuru and Minoru strolled in last. Side by side, they were holding hands and smiling brightly, "Sorry we're late… we had to make a little pit stop." said Mitsuru. They both looked inwardly over their shoulders, motioning for someone to follow them. It was a brunette, with curly, shoulder length hair, and blue eyes. She was an American woman.

Hikaru's heart stopped. It was his wife. They had met when she came over from the states for a trip. She stared at him with thoughtful eyes. It was like they were meeting for the first time. Hikaru, although he had the same personality as always, had unlike his brother, let his hair grow out. It was always tied back loosely, and somehow made him more mature looking, "It's been awhile." she said with a calm voice.

"There's something I have to say," Hikaru interrupted stepping closer to her, looking deeply into her eyes, "I know I haven't been there for you or the boys. I just thought if I worked hard I co-"

"A little bird told me everything." she said, placing an index finger on his lips. His eyebrow perked, and she looked over his shoulder. He turned to stare into the eyes of his twin brother, and was so thankful for such a person in his life he started to tear up, "Hikaru," she said, and he turned back to her quickly. Slowly putting her arms around him, she rested her head on his chest, "I missed you so much." she murmured.

Holding her tightly, he took in a breath on her hair, "I missed you too."

"That wasn't the pit stop we were talking about." Minoru said holding up an index finger.

The twins parted and stood on either side of the door. Hikaru took a step aside, guiding his wife with him, and that revealed a slender woman, with weary green eyes, long flowing red hair, and a lovely smile. Kaoru and Kichiro literally couldn't breathe, "Mom?" choked Kichiro.

She took a step forward and tilted her head, "You've gotten so big. My beautiful little boy…" tears slid down her cheeks, and before she could take another step closer, Kichiro closed the gap and held onto her for dear life, tears bursting from their ducts. She held him gently, and looked up to see Kaoru coming closer to her. He was now also in tears, so happy to be looking into the eyes of his better half again.

"We missed you." he said, pulling both Kichiro and her into a deep embrace.

"It's been a long time…" she whispered into his ear.

By now just about everyone was moved to the point of secreting tears.

Once everyone calmed down, Tamaki started playing some music and everyone had tagged a partner to dance with. Tamotsu insisted that the first dance Emiko had that night would be with her father. He'd claim the next slow song.

Kichiro swayed back and forth with Haruki snug in his arms, "You seem like you're finally relaxing." she said, moving closer to him, so she could hear his heartbeat.

"Yeah… I can't believe… any of this." he rested his chin on the top of her head and continued dancing, "I love you, Haruki." he whispered.

She blushed deeply, "I love you too."

He placed his lips on her forehead, kissing her gently, he then pulled away, "Will you excuse me for a bit? I want to take a little walk and reflect. It's still, really hard to believe any of this has happened."

"Sure," she nodded, "I need to get my father out of his corner of drunken woe anyway." she said flatly, glancing over at her father.

He walked down the hall, his steps echoing on the walls. He passed some windows that revealed the beautiful moonlight. This moment was a serenity filled sanctuary, and all he wanted was to enjoy it. He was afraid that at any moment he might wake up.

"Kichiro," he swore he heard a familiar voice, though it seemed so far away, like something he hadn't heard in a long time, "I love you Kichiro. I'm so glad… you are happy again." he placed his hand on the glass and looked deeply at his reflection. It finally clicked to him.

"I love you too Hikari." he mumbled, feeling slightly crazy, he looked down at his feet.

"Keep your chin up." she answered, lifting his head up. It was like she was right there beside him once more. "Just remember Kichiro, I'll always be right here beside you." he felt a certain warmth wrap around him, and then all at once, it was gone. He smiled, letting the tears descend upon his cheeks.

"See you later," he murmured, walking further down the hallway.

"_Someday, always comes too late or too soon. Someday I'd see her again, but for now I just wanted what I had been given. Yes, someday, when the sun sets, and winter turns to spring, she'll be there, waiting for me. A smile too big for her perfect face, with pigtails in her hair, tiny ringlets and all. Someday…"_

Author's notes: It's like the end of an era. It's been a fun ride, but I think this might be the perfect ending for this group of characters. I'm sure I'll have a few people telling me, "No! Please write more of this!" sense I already have a couple doing so, so maybe if there's some popular demand for more chapters, I'll continue to write it. Thanks for reading all, and if you have any questions about the characters feel free to ask. Please review, and let me know what you guys think. Thanks for keeping up with this, it really means a lot to me. =] love to you all!


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